IDB-1c-1955-09 Interior Die Break
Error
Description
Documented by the Cuds on Coins reference catalog, IDB-1c-1955-09 is an interior die break variety on a 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent — a fracture within the die face itself rather than at the rim, creating a raised irregular area on the struck coin where the broken die segment pushed outward under striking pressure. The cross-reference documentation notes multiple related varieties on this same die: a retained cud (indicated with red arrows), a retained interior die break (white arrows), and the interior die break itself (black arrows), with See IDB-1c-1955-09 & RIDB-1c-1955-14 referenced as companion varieties along with JCc-1955-212 (documented 10/20/2014). This multi-break documentation reveals a die in advanced stages of structural failure, with fractures occurring simultaneously at different locations across the die face — both at the rim and within the interior — documenting the catastrophic deterioration of a severely stressed working die. The Lincoln Wheat Cent in 1955 was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in standard bronze composition — 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc — weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. The 1955 date is particularly notable for the famous 1955 Doubled Die Obverse, one of the most celebrated error coins in American numismatics, though this interior die break variety represents an entirely different die and error type. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse Lincoln portrait, and the wheat ears reverse served through 1958. Interior die breaks are less common than rim cuds because the die face's interior is generally more structurally supported than the rim edges, making these fracture events of particular interest to error collectors studying die metallurgy and failure mechanics.
Attribution History
- Cross reference number: The retained cud is indicated with red arrows. The retained interior die break is indicated with white arrows. The interior die break is indicated with black arrows. See IDB-1c-1955-09 & RIDB-1c-1955-14. JCc-1955-212. 10/20/2014.
- Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins
External References
Community & Reference
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