IDB-1c-1957-01 Interior Die Break

Description

Carrying three cross-references — Cohen 57-B615, Hardy 57P-4FH+9, and the standard IDB designation — this first documented interior die break for the 1957 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent preserves a fracture where a section of the die surface away from the rim separated completely. Unlike a cud, which forms at the rim edge, an interior die break occurs within the body of the design when a fragment of die steel breaks loose and falls away, leaving a cavity that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised featureless area surrounded by normal design detail. The triple cross-referencing across the Cohen, Hardy, and IDB catalogs reflects the systematic documentation approach applied to die break varieties on Lincoln Wheat Cents. The Hardy classification 57P-4FH+9 places this variety within the positional framework used for Lincoln Cent die break research, while the Cohen number B615 provides the traditional catalog reference. The 1957 Philadelphia Mint Wheat Cent represents the penultimate year of the series — the Wheat reverse would be replaced by Frank Gasparro's Memorial design in 1959 — and Philadelphia struck over 282 million cents in 1957. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on July 20, 2015, this interior die break documents the structural failure of a die near the end of the beloved Wheat Cent series that had been in continuous production since 1909.

Attribution History

• Cross references: Cohen 57-B615, Hardy 57P-4FH+9, IDB-1c-1957-01. 07/20/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References