RIDB-1c-1999D-01 Retained Interior Die Break

Description

First retained interior die break documented for the 1999 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent, RIDB-1c-1999D-01 preserves a fracture in the interior field of the die where the broken section remained in place rather than separating. When an interior section of a die fractures — as opposed to the rim-based fractures that produce cuds — the break occurs within the design field, potentially affecting design elements, lettering, or open field areas. The "retained" classification means the cracked fragment stayed held in position by surrounding die steel, producing a subtle displacement with visible crack lines rather than the completely raised featureless mass that results when the fragment falls away entirely. The 1999 Denver Mint cent was produced in enormous quantities as Philadelphia and Denver together struck over 11 billion cents that year, the highest annual cent production in U.S. history driven by strong economic growth and coin demand. This unprecedented volume consumed massive numbers of die pairs at both facilities, ensuring that die failures of all types — including the relatively uncommon interior die breaks — occurred across the extended production runs. First cataloged on February 1, 2014 by Cuds on Coins, no independent cross-references exist. The late 1990s Lincoln Memorial Cent, with its copper-plated zinc composition and enormous mintages, produced die varieties in quantity proportional to its production, making dates like 1999-D particularly productive for die break researchers.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Bassler
• Cross reference number: none. 02/1/2014.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References