RIDB-1c-1953-03 Retained Interior Die Break

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this retained interior die break on the 1953 Lincoln Wheat Cent from the Philadelphia Mint is the third documented example for this date. Retained interior die breaks are visually distinctive: a section of the die face fractures but remains held in position, producing coins with a raised island of displaced design surrounded by a recessed channel marking the fracture boundary. Unlike rim cuds, interior die breaks form entirely within the die face, and the retained variant preserves the broken piece rather than allowing it to fall away. The 1953 Philadelphia Wheat Cent was produced without a mintmark, following the convention identifying Philadelphia strikes by the absence of a mint letter. Documentation of three retained interior die breaks for this date suggests some fractured dies continued in service long enough to produce identifiable quantities of affected coins. Wheat Cent specialists actively catalog these varieties because each creates a unique pattern of displacement and channeling distinguishing it from every other documented example.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Andrew Wojtowich
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References