LDB123456-1995-001 Die Break

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as LDB123456-1995-001, this die break variety was discovered on a 1995 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial cent, part of the Lincoln Memorial Cents 1959-2008 series. The 1995 cent was struck in copper-plated zinc, weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter. A die break occurs when a portion of the die physically fractures and separates from the die body, resulting in a raised, featureless area of metal on the struck coin where the broken die segment no longer imparts design detail. The Cuds on Coins cataloging note describes this coin as an "ILIIIBIEIRIT" which in their numbering system translates to the LDB123456 designation, indicating die breaks affecting multiple letters of IN LIBERTY across the obverse design. This multi-letter die break pattern suggests extensive die deterioration where the break progressed through a significant portion of the obverse inscription area. Die breaks of this scope are relatively uncommon, as dies exhibiting such severe cracking would typically be removed from service before reaching this level of failure. However, the high-speed production environment at the Philadelphia Mint, which struck approximately 6.4 billion cents in 1995, occasionally allowed extensively deteriorated dies to continue striking coins before being pulled from the press. The cross-reference notation from March 3, 2017, indicates no previously published cross-reference existed at that time. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait and the surrounding inscription elements provide the context for understanding how the die break affected the design, with the raised featureless areas contrasting sharply against the properly struck portions of the coin to create a visually dramatic error variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dustin Ickow
• Cross reference: none. 03/03/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References