PART IV. Die Errors:
Die Breaks:
Die Breaks Produced by Impacts
Definition: Die breaks can occur spontaneously or because of an impact. An impact can also weaken a die, producing micro-cracks that lead to eventual failure. The source of the impact could be the opposing die, a piece of a collar, or some other hard object.
Half of the obverse die broke away prior to the strike that created this undated Roosevelt dime. This enormous die break may have been caused or initiated by a strong die clash. Deep, extensive clash marks can be seen on both the obverse and reverse face.
The dies that struck this 1986 cent show extraordinarily heavy impact damage. In addition to a profuse number of
impact scars and die dents, the cent shows a large cud in the northwest quadrant of the obverse face and a small cud at the base of Lincoln’s bust. It’s likely that these pieces of the obverse die were knocked off by the same foreign body or bodies that were responsible for the die damage. Another possibility is that the larger die fragment broke off first, landed between the dies and shattered upon impact. This could have created the debris field responsible for the widespread damage.