RIDB-1c-2016-01R Retained Interior Die Break

Description

Cataloged as RIDB-1c-2016-01R, this 2016 Philadelphia Lincoln Shield Cent exhibits a retained interior die break — a fracture category distinct from both cuds and die chips. Unlike a cud, which occurs at the rim, an interior die break involves a crack that isolates a section of the die face entirely within the design area, surrounded by intact die steel on all sides. The "retained" designation means the cracked piece has not fallen away but remains seated in its original position, producing a subtle raised irregularity on the struck coin rather than the dramatic blank area of a fully separated break. The surface within the break zone shares the same consistency as the surrounding area, confirming the fragment is still in place. A small die break or chip at the left end of the boundary crack indicates localized fragmentation has begun even as the larger section holds. Interior die breaks require a different stress pattern than rim breaks — instead of a fracture propagating outward to the edge, the crack forms a closed loop within the die face, often following grain boundaries or stress concentrations in the die steel. There is a small die break / chip at the left end of the die crack that formed the retained interior die break.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Earl Williams
• Cross reference: None. 02/01/2014.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References