CU-5c-1969S-01 Cud

Description

San Francisco Mint production of the 1969-S Jefferson Nickel — a proof-only issue — provides the host for CU-5c-1969S-01, Stage A, the first and sole documented cud for this date-mintmark combination. Proof Jefferson Nickels from San Francisco used specially prepared dies with mirror finishes, struck at controlled speeds onto polished planchets, conditions that typically extend die life compared to high-speed business strike production. Nevertheless, die fractures can and do occur on proof dies, particularly at the rim where stress concentrations develop at the geometric transition between the flat die face and the raised collar interface. Cuds on Coins cataloged this variety with no additional cross-references, and the Stage A designation indicates documentation of this cud in its earliest observed die state — the initial fracture before progressive die deterioration altered the break's appearance. San Francisco struck proof sets for collectors throughout 1969, and the nickel denomination within those sets featured Felix Schlag's familiar Jefferson portrait and Monticello reverse. Proof cuds are particularly valued by collectors because the mirror fields surrounding the raised featureless cud area create dramatic visual contrast that is less pronounced on business strikes. The 1969-S proof nickel also holds compositional significance as a pre-1971 issue, predating the brief period when some collectors speculated about potential composition changes that ultimately did not affect the copper-nickel nickel denomination.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Heritage Auction
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References