RRDC-1c-1960-01 (SD) Bisecting Rim to Rim Die Crack

Description

Documented by Cuds on Coins with a cross-reference date of February 1, 2014, RRDC-1c-1960-01 (SD) records a bisecting rim to rim die crack on the 1960 Lincoln Memorial Cent Small Date. A bisecting rim to rim die crack — abbreviated RRDC — is among the most visually dramatic forms of die failure, occurring when a crack propagates entirely across the face of a working die from one edge to the opposite edge, effectively splitting the die surface in two. On the struck coin, this manifests as a raised, continuous line of displaced metal running from rim to rim across the design, bisecting the coin's surface. The crack represents an advanced state of die fatigue, as the fracture must travel through the full diameter of the die steel rather than merely branching partway from the rim or developing in a localized interior zone. The Small Date regular strike designation places this die in the later 1960 production phase at Philadelphia, after the mid-year hub transition from the Large Date design. No additional cross-references have been assigned. The complete bisection of the die face makes RRDC varieties among the most collectible die crack categories, as the full-span crack provides a striking visual element that is immediately apparent even without magnification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Robert Jennik
• Cross reference: none. 02/01/2014.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References