RIDB-1c-1953D-02 Retained Interior Die Break

Description

Continuing the unusual concentration of interior die breaks on the 1953-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, RIDB-1c-1953D-02 records the second documented retained interior die break for this date and mint. Like the first, this variety exhibits a piece of die face that fractured away but remained trapped in its recess, producing a raised irregular area within the interior design field rather than at the rim. Multiple RIDBs from a single date-mint is noteworthy — retained interior die breaks are already scarce compared to rim cuds, and three from the same production run raises questions about systemic factors at Denver in 1953. Possible causes include die steel quality issues, hardening process variations, or striking pressures exceeding normal parameters. Denver's 1953 output of 700.515 million cents required many working dies, and even a small increase in interior fracture rates would produce noticeable clustering. Each of the three 1953-D RIDBs represents a separate die, as interior breaks are unique to the individual die face. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: none. 07/23/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References