1868 Shield Nickel Intersecting Obverse Die Cracks through Date ☆☆ 721

Denomination: 5C

Coin: Shield

Year: 1868

Fineness: 0.9

Strike Type: Business

Mint Location: Philadelphia

KM Number: 483

Country of Origin: United States

Up for auction/sale is a wonderful and dramatic numismatic error variety from the United States Mint—an 1868 Shield Nickel, featuring striking intersecting obverse die cracks through the date and abundant original mint luster, preserved in choice About Uncirculated (AU) condition.

Struck in Philadelphia during the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War, this historic copper-nickel shield nickel features James B. Longacre's classic Union shield on the obverse and the numeral "5" surrounded by stars on the reverse. Preserved in exceptional About Uncirculated condition, this lovely specimen retains a vast majority of its blazing original mint brilliance across both sides, elevated significantly by bold, prominent die cracks slicing directly across and intersecting through the numerals of the 1868 date—a fantastic visual error for advanced variety collectors.