Featured Longacre Coin: Shield Nickel
A Discussion of an 1866 Shield Nickel Error – A Very Collectible Coin
We have all heard the term “metal fatigue” in our lifes. But few have any idea what it means or even seen a classic example of the phenomenon. So let’s have a look at this James B Longacre design 1866 Shield Nickel.
The United States Mint was only in its second year of producing copper-nickel coinage in 1866. The exact same alloy is still in use today for the nickel some 160 years later. The composition of the alloy is 75% copper and 25% nickel, and the introduction of nickel promoted the grayish color of the coinage, as it was important for the Mint to replicate a silver patina on its higher denomination coinage rather than the base metal copper look associated with the Cent.
But in so doing the nickel increased the strength and hardness of the planchet, making it much more difficult to strike. To make matters worse, metallurgical testing suggests the Mint was not annealing Shield nickel planchets to soften them prior to striking.
The higher tonnage demands of the nickel promoted die fatigue. Fatigue is the initiation and growth of a crack in a metal from repetitive stresses, such as from striking coins. The crack eventually grows to a point when it fractures and in this case the broken piece separates from the die completely.
While cuds are common on United States coinage, what makes this particular piece spectacular is that the broken piece fell on top of the incoming planchet, making an outline of itself on the subsequent coin. In my years of collecting I have seen thousands of different cuds on US issues, but this is the sole example of the broken piece being struck into the subsequent coin. Wayyy cool.
Coin Grade… ex-ANACS AU50 Holder.
Value… Purchased on eBay in 2004 for $274. No mention of the impression on the shield (but I figured it out and put a snipe bid in of close to $500… but then again I am a nerdy metallurgist).
Thanks for the gander and please consider joining the Fly-In Club today!
