RIDB-1c-1954D-03 Retained Interior Die Break

Description

Third retained interior die break cataloged for the 1954 Denver Lincoln Wheat Cent, RIDB-1c-1954D-03 preserves a fracture where the broken die fragment remained in place rather than separating completely, producing a raised area on struck coins that retains partial design detail. The Cuds on Coins documentation notes two secondary die markers: an obverse die crack on Lincoln's coat and a reverse die chip on the T in CENT. These additional defects, occurring on surfaces distant from the retained interior break itself, indicate the die was experiencing multiple simultaneous deterioration events — a pattern consistent with advanced die wear where the steel's structural integrity is compromised across the entire die face. Denver struck 96,190,000 Lincoln Cents in 1954, a reduced mintage compared to the previous year's output as the Korean War era wound down and the economy adjusted. With no additional cross-references beyond the Cuds on Coins designation, RIDB-1c-1954D-03 is the third of at least three retained interior die breaks documented on 1954-D cents. The distinction between retained interior breaks and full cuds is diagnostically important: retained breaks produce raised areas that preserve partial design detail (letters, devices, or field texture), while full cuds create featureless blobs where no original design survives, making retained breaks more informationally rich for understanding the original die surface geometry.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References