DC-1c-1956-05 Die Chip

Description

Distinct from die breaks and cuds that dominate rim-failure catalogs, this die chip on the 1956 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent represents a different mechanism of die deterioration — one where a tiny fragment of the die surface flakes away from an interior area rather than fracturing at the rim. Cataloged as DC-1c-1956-05, the fifth documented die chip for this date, the variety appears on the left wheat stalk of the reverse. Die chips produce small raised areas on the struck coin where metal fills the shallow cavity left by the missing fragment, and they are generally smaller and more localized than die breaks or cuds. The 1956 cent was struck in the penultimate year of the Lincoln Wheat Cent reverse designed by Victor David Brenner, replaced by Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse in 1959. Die chips on Wheat Cents are common enough to be widely collected but specific enough in location and shape that each can be individually cataloged. The distinction between a die chip and a die crack is one of mechanism: chips involve loss of a discrete surface fragment, while cracks represent linear fractures that may or may not lead to material separation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Louis A
• Cross reference: none. Note: Die Chip on the Left Wheat. 10/10/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References