LDB4-1951D-003 BIE Die Break

Description

Third BIE die break documented for the 1951 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety was recorded on July 13, 2015, and is cross-referenced as Cohen Not Listed and Hardy 51D-4DL+79. The Hardy code 51D-4DL+79 places this fracture at position 4 within the LIBERTY inscription, with the DL component identifying a specific inter-letter zone between the D (a reference letter position) and L, and the +79 suffix indicating this is the seventy-ninth break documented at that general position across the broader Lincoln cent series — a numbering convention that tracks cumulative discoveries rather than date-specific sequences. BIE die breaks arise through fatigue failure in the narrow ridges of die steel that separate the incuse letter cavities of LIBERTY, where repeated compressive loading during coin striking gradually weakens the material until fracture occurs. The 1951-D Wheat Cent was produced at Denver during the postwar economic expansion, when cent production was climbing toward the levels that would characterize the late 1950s. Three documented BIE breaks for 1951-D represents early-stage catalog development for this date, with the potential for additional discoveries as more coins are examined. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety was documented on the same date as LDB4-1951D-001, suggesting a single research session that identified multiple 1951-D BIE varieties simultaneously. The "Not Listed" Cohen designation indicates this variety had not been incorporated into the Cohen die break reference at the time of documentation. Each BIE break is uniquely defined by its precise inter-letter position, width, and height relative to the surrounding letter forms.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen Not Listed, Hardy 51D-4DL+79. 07/13/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References