DC-5c-2006P-01R Die Chip

Description

First documented reverse die chip for the 2006 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel, DC-5c-2006P-01R marks a die surface failure on the inaugural year of the Return to Monticello design. After the two-year Westward Journey series of 2004-2005 introduced temporary obverse and reverse designs, the 2006 nickel returned to a redesigned Monticello reverse paired with Jamie Franki's new forward-facing Jefferson portrait — a significant departure from Felix Schlag's original left-profile design used since 1938. The R suffix confirms this die chip appears on the Monticello reverse rather than the new Jefferson obverse. Die chips form when a small fragment of the hardened die surface fractures and separates, creating a shallow cavity that produces a raised bump on every subsequently struck coin. As the -01R designation indicates, this was the first reverse die chip identified for the 2006 Philadelphia nickel, establishing the initial catalog entry for die chip varieties on the new design. Cross-referenced with no additional attributions (documented November 5, 2018), this variety was cataloged by Cuds on Coins twelve years after the coins were struck. First-year design die varieties hold particular interest for collectors who track how new dies perform under production conditions, as fresh designs sometimes reveal unexpected stress patterns during their initial high-volume manufacturing runs.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Amy Antone
• Cross reference: none. 11/05/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References