LDB4-1954S-010 Die Break

Description

Classified as a Level 4 die break in the Cuds on Coins catalog system, LDB4-1954S-010 documents a die break variety on the 1954-S Lincoln Wheat Cent where a piece of the die broke away during production. When a section of die steel separates, the void left behind allows planchet metal to fill the resulting gap during striking, producing a raised area of unstruck metal on the finished coin. The raised blob, often called a cud when it occurs at the rim, is distinctive because the metal in that area received no design impression from the die. The Level 4 designation in the Cuds on Coins system indicates the relative size and significance of the break. The 1954-S Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the San Francisco Mint during the final years of the Wheat Cent series, which ran from 1909 through 1958 before the Lincoln Memorial reverse. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, a comprehensive resource dedicated to documenting die break varieties across all United States coin series. Struck in 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc at San Francisco, this late-series Wheat Cent preserves a Level 4 die break where separated die steel left a raised area of unstruck metal on the coin's surface.

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