RIDB-1c-1952-03 Retained Interior Die Break

Description

Unlike cuds and pre-cuds that form at the die rim, a retained interior die break occurs when a section of the die face away from the edge fractures — and critically, the broken piece remains seated in the die rather than falling out. This third documented RIDB for the 1952 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent preserves exactly that phenomenon. When an interior section of the die cracks but stays in position, the struck coin shows evidence of the fracture pattern while retaining partial design detail from the still-present die fragment. If the broken piece had separated entirely, it would have produced an interior die break (IDB) — a raised featureless island surrounded by normal design. The retention of the fragment distinguishes the RIDB as a less dramatic but arguably more informative record of die failure, since the fracture lines remain visible. The 1952 Philadelphia Wheat Cent was struck during the post-war era of high-volume cent production. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, RIDBs are less commonly encountered than rim-based varieties because interior die fractures require specific stress conditions to develop away from the natural stress concentration points at the die edge.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Greg Bowyer
• Cross reference number: none. 09/28/2021.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References