PCGS The Standart for the Rare Coin Industry

After a die was used for a period of time it was apt to become worn or to develop cracks. Such cracks were filled with metal from the planchets when coins were struck, causing raised ridges or irregular lines known as die breaks. These are typically irregular in outline and extend inward from the border, although particularly severe cracks can extend all the way across a coin from rim to rim. Breaks caused by metal chipping away from the edge of the die produced blobs of metal at the rim and are sometimes called "cud" breaks. Most die breaks do not affect the value of a coin either positively or negatively, although among certain early issues in which breaks are severe and an entire section of the die shows injury, resultant coins display partial or missing inscriptions and are often worth less than fully struck examples.

As dies became worn, sometimes they were resurfaced by grinding, thus removing certain details. The 1937-D Buffalo nickel with three legs is believed to have been the result of one leg being partially rubbed away in the die by the use of a file or, as some texts say, an emery board. Liberty Seated half dollars such as 1845-O, 1846-O, and 1877-S are often seen with prooflike surfaces and with part of the drapery absent from Miss Liberty's elbow. When these dies were resurfaced, the drapery, being one of the lower relief features, was ground away. The grinding and resurfacing marks were covered up by polishing the dies, giving the coins prooflike surfaces.

Sometimes dies were stored in damp circumstances, with the result that coins struck from them show evidence of rust pits on the die. Certain 1833 quarters, 1876-CC dimes, and other issues were struck from heavily rusted or even corroded dies. The so-called "restrike" 1804 large cent was struck from dies which had been left to the ravages of the elements for many years.

In general, die characteristics such as rust spots, breaks, accidental marks in the die, etc., are not specifically mentioned in coin descriptions, unless they are felt to affect the value. Certain varieties are especially popular due to their having been struck from problem dies. Among these are the 1795 half cent without pole to cap (the pole to the liberty cap on the obverse was ground away during die resurfacing, thus creating this distinctive variety), the 1801 AMERICAI silver dollar (a die mark, possibly a break, exists after the last letter in AMERICA and has the fanciful appearance of an "I"), and the 1796 LIKERTY half dime (a rather silly variety, for the "K" is simply a defective R). Often a die defect of years ago can translate into a highly prized collectors' item today!