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Question: I have an 1883 Liberty Head nickel, variety without CENTS on reverse, with die breaks connecting some of the stars. Is this unusual?
Answer: Although die breaks are rarely seen on later Liberty Head nickels and would be especially unusual on 20th-century dates in the series, their occurrence on the 1883 without CENTS issue is not particularly unusual. Probably the Mint in an effort to coin a large number of the new design kept the dies in use longer than the normal striking period. (In the immediate earlier series, Shield nickels, die breaks are very common.)
