RIDB-1c-2008-04 Retained Interior Die Break

Description

Fourth in the documented sequence of retained interior die breaks for the 2008 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent, RIDB-1c-2008-04 preserves a fracture where an interior section of the die cracked but remained in place rather than separating completely. Unlike a standard interior die break where the fragment falls away and leaves a cavity that fills with metal, a retained break keeps the fractured piece lodged in position, producing a raised but still partially detailed area on the struck coin — often bordered by a visible crack outline. The "RIDB" prefix in the Cuds on Coins catalog distinguishes this from full interior breaks (IDB), rim cuds (CU), and pre-cuds (PC). Cross-referenced as RIDB-1c-2008-04 with a catalog date of 05/23/2018, this variety was documented a full decade after the coins were struck, illustrating how die variety discoveries continue long after production ends. The 2008 date marks the final year of Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, which had been in continuous production since 1959 — nearly fifty years of service that made it one of the longest-running reverse designs in American coinage history. High-volume Philadelphia Mint production in 2008 consumed many obverse and reverse die pairs, each subject to the internal stress fractures that create retained interior die breaks.

Attribution History

• Cross reference: RIDB-1c-2008-04. 05/23/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References