LDB67-1993D-001 BIE Die Break

Description

Designated a "RITIY" in the Cuds on Coins classification system, LDB67-1993D-001 on the 1993 Denver Lincoln Memorial cent is a die break whose path runs "Right of the I, Through the I, and left of the Y" — an unusually descriptive acronym that maps the fracture's trajectory through the final letters of LIBERTY. The LDB67 prefix indicates the break spans positions 6 and 7 in the LIBERTY Die Break numbering system, placing it at the opposite end of the word from the classic BIE location between B and E. While BIE breaks at position 3 are by far the most common and widely recognized, breaks at the far right of LIBERTY — positions 6 and 7, spanning the T-Y region — occur less frequently and are cataloged under their own positional designations. The Hardy Index cross-references this variety as 93D-6SDLM+7SELM, a compound code indicating involvement of both position 6 (south-downward, left-middle region) and position 7 (south-east, left-middle region), describing the geometric orientation and extent of the break with precision typical of the Hardy system. A RITIY break is visually distinctive: rather than a clean vertical bar between two letters, the fracture cuts through the body of the letter I itself and extends into the spaces flanking it, creating a broader, more irregular raised area that partially distorts the I while filling the gaps on either side. Collectors seeking this variety should focus on the right end of LIBERTY and look for disruption of the I-T-Y letter group rather than the more familiar B-E zone.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Claude Butcher
• Cross references: Hardy 93D-6SDLM+7SELM.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References