RIDB-1c-1983-04R Retained Interior Die Break

Description

This companion listing for RIDB-1c-1983-04R emphasizes the retained interior characteristics of the reverse die fracture that shares a die marriage with obverse variety RIDB-1c-1983-03. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, the retained interior die break classification specifies that the fractured section of the reverse die remained partially attached during continued production, impressing distorted but recognizable design elements into planchets rather than leaving the featureless raised mass of a conventional cud. The interior origin — away from the rim — means the fracture initiated at a point of weakness within the design field of Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, where closely spaced architectural details create numerous stress concentration points in the die steel. The dual deterioration of this die pair, with RIDB-03 on the obverse and RIDB-04R on the reverse, provides valuable data about die life parameters during the first full year of copper-plated zinc production. Philadelphia's 1983 output of over 7.6 billion cents required thousands of die pairs, and this particular marriage illustrates how quickly both dies could approach failure when production demands were extreme. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

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