DC-1c-2014-01 Die Chip

Description

First documented die chip variety for the 2014 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield Cent, this error occurred when a small piece of the die surface broke away, leaving a void that filled with metal during striking to produce a raised bump on the finished coin. Die chips differ from cuds in both scale and location — while cuds involve a major break at the die rim, die chips are smaller fractures that can occur anywhere on the die face, often within or adjacent to design elements where thin sections of die steel are most vulnerable to fatigue. The Lincoln Shield Cent, introduced in 2010 with Lyndall Bass's Union Shield reverse replacing the Lincoln Memorial, was four years into production by 2014. The Shield reverse features a prominent shield design with horizontal and vertical lines representing the unity of the states, and these fine parallel lines create areas where small die chips can develop. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no additional cross-references, DC-1c-2014-01 establishes the baseline entry for die chip documentation on the 2014-P Shield Cent. Die chips are among the most common forms of die deterioration, found on virtually all dates of the Lincoln Cent series, but systematic cataloging helps researchers track die failure patterns across years and mints, building data on production conditions.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Vivien Bullard
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References