CU-5c-1949-01R Rim Cud

Description

Documented by the Cuds on Coins reference catalog, CU-5c-1949-01R is a rim cud on the reverse of a 1949 Jefferson Nickel — a major die break at the coin's edge where a piece of the die fractured and separated completely, leaving a void that produced a raised, featureless blob of metal on every coin struck from the damaged die afterward. The file number notation references the Thurman and Margolis Cud Book, the definitive reference catalog for rim cud varieties organized by Jefferson Nickel Cud (JNC) file numbers. Cuds are classified as major die breaks because they involve the complete loss of a die fragment, as opposed to retained cuds where the broken piece remains partially attached, or interior die breaks where the fracture occurs within the die face rather than at the rim. The 1949 Jefferson Nickel was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in standard copper-nickel composition — 75% copper and 25% nickel — weighing 5.00 grams with a diameter of 21.21 mm. Felix Schlag designed the Jefferson portrait obverse and the Monticello reverse, which served from 1938 through 2003 in the Original Design series. Rim cuds on Jefferson Nickels are actively collected as a specialty within the error coin community, with the Thurman and Margolis catalog providing systematic documentation that allows collectors to identify specific cud varieties by their position on the rim, the size of the affected area, and the die state at which the break occurred. The reverse location of this particular cud places it on the Monticello side of the coin, where the architectural detail of the building facade provides visual context for gauging the extent and position of the die break relative to known design elements.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References