DC-10c-2006P-01 Die Chip

Description

Philadelphia's 2006 Roosevelt dime production yielded this die chip variety, cataloged as DC-10c-2006P-01 — the first confirmed interior die break for the date and mint combination. Die chips on dimes are frequently encountered by roll searchers because the denomination's small diameter concentrates striking force over a limited die surface area, and even minor metallurgical inclusions in the die steel can serve as initiation points for fracture. The chip manifests on struck coins as a raised lump or dot where planchet metal flowed into the void left by the departed die fragment. Identification requires matching the chip's precise location within the design — its proximity to specific letters, digits, or device elements — against the cataloged reference. Philadelphia struck over 1.3 billion dimes in 2006, a volume demanding thousands of working die pairs and guaranteeing that some percentage would develop interior fractures before reaching the end of their service life. DC-10c-2006P-01 preserves one such event. Collectors examining 2006-P dimes should use at least 5x magnification to spot the small raised area characteristic of this variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Martha Luna
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References