CU-5c-1985P-01 Cud

Description

First documented cud for the 1985-P Jefferson Nickel in the Cuds on Coins catalog, CU-5c-1985P-01 represents a major die break at the rim with no known cross-references to other cud registries. The absence of a cross-reference number (listed as "none") indicates this cud has not been independently documented in complementary catalogs such as the JNC (Jefferson Nickel Cud) series, though the Cuds on Coins listing itself constitutes the primary record of its existence. The 1985-P Jefferson Nickel was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in standard 75% copper / 25% nickel composition on 5-gram planchets — the same specifications that have defined the nickel denomination since 1866 (excluding the 1942-1945 wartime silver alloy). Philadelphia's 1985 nickel production reached approximately 647.1 million pieces, one of the larger mintage figures in the series, requiring a substantial number of working dies and correspondingly increasing the probability of die failures including rim fractures. Cuds form through progressive fatigue cracking in the die steel, typically initiating at stress concentration points near the rim where the die face transitions to the collar interface — an area subjected to repeated high-pressure impacts during striking. The raised, featureless metal mass characteristic of cud errors results from the planchet flowing into the void left by the missing die fragment, and the size, shape, and position of each cud are unique to the specific fracture event. As CU-5c-1985P-01 (the first entry), this particular cud may be either the only documented rim break for the 1985-P date or the most significant among multiple examples. Without die markers listed, authentication relies on matching the cud's location, size, and shape against catalog reference photographs.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Zach Lauer
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References