RRDC-5c-1944S-01R Bisecting Rim to Rim Die Crack

Description

First documented reverse bisecting rim-to-rim die crack for the 1944-S wartime Jefferson Nickel, this variety records the earliest cataloged complete die fracture for the second-to-last year of silver alloy nickel production. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on August 30, 2018, with no known cross-references, this RRDC documents a fracture that traversed the full width of the reverse die face, producing a continuous raised line across struck coins from rim to rim. The 1944-S nickel was struck in the wartime 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese alloy that had been adopted in late 1942 to conserve nickel for military applications — primarily armor plating and artillery shell casings. San Francisco produced approximately 21.6 million wartime nickels in 1944, marking the facility's third year of emergency alloy production. The large S mintmark above Monticello's dome distinguishes these wartime silver alloy coins from pre-war and post-war standard composition nickels that carry a small mintmark to the right of Monticello. Bisecting rim-to-rim die cracks form when metal fatigue propagates from an initiation point on or near the rim across the die face to the opposite rim, creating a through-crack that can gradually widen under continued striking pressure. As the primary RRDC for this date, the 01R designation establishes the baseline die fracture documentation for 1944-S wartime nickel production at San Francisco.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Zach Llewellyn
• Cross reference: none.  08/30/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References