IDB-1c-1955-04 Interior Die Break

Description

Fourth documented interior die break for the 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent, IDB-1c-1955-04 represents a die fracture developing within the design field rather than propagating from the rim edge. Interior die breaks require a metallurgical weakness within the die body to nucleate a crack in an area that would not ordinarily fail before the rim — making them inherently less common than rim-based cuds. The raised feature left by an interior break contrasts with the smooth, featureless area of a rim cud, as the interior fracture follows the grain structure of the die steel, producing an unpredictable shape. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins under the IDB prefix, these varieties occupy a distinct category from CUD-prefixed rim breaks and LDB-prefixed letter breaks such as BIE varieties. The 1955 Philadelphia cent was struck on 95% copper planchets at 19mm. This date is perhaps best known for the famous 1955 Doubled Die Obverse, but interior die breaks represent an entirely separate class of manufacturing anomaly unrelated to hub doubling.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References