DC-1c-1993D-01R Die Chip

Description

A die chip forms when a small fragment of the hardened steel die surface flakes away, leaving a shallow void that fills with metal during each subsequent strike and produces a raised bump on the finished coin. DC-1c-1993D-01R documents the first cataloged reverse die chip for the 1993 Denver Lincoln Memorial cent in the Cuds on Coins registry. The "R" suffix indicates this chip occurred on the reverse die — the die that imparts the Lincoln Memorial design. Unlike full cuds, which involve large rim-connected die breaks, die chips are typically small, interior fractures that can appear anywhere on the die face. On copper-plated zinc planchets, which the Mint had been striking since 1982, the interaction between the thin copper shell and the softer zinc core creates a distinctive stress profile during striking. The copper layer conforms tightly to every contour of the die, including the void left by a missing chip, which means even very small chips tend to reproduce clearly on struck coins. Identification requires examining the reverse under low magnification for a raised, irregularly shaped lump that sits above the normal design surface — a feature easily distinguished from planchet lamination errors, which present as peeling or flaking of the copper plating itself.

Attribution History

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

External References