Part IV. Die Errors:

Die Breaks:

Retained Interior Die Break

Definition: An island of metal surrounded by a die crack that sinks into the die face.  On the coin it’s seen as an island of design that sits on a low plateau.  It’s almost impossible to determine if a retained interior die break is actually detached from the remainder of the die face or simply sank in as the result of subsurface deformation beneath a cracked surface.

A retained interior die break may or may not be connected to the rim by die cracks or a split die.  If such a connection is absent, it is called a freestanding interior die break. Many retained interior die breaks straddle splits in the die face.

Retained interior die breaks are also referred to as retained internal die breaks.

The reverse face of this 2007-P dime shown above has an asymmetrical split die straddled by a retained interior die break.  Additional die chips are arranged along the split.