LDB345678-1951-001C Die Break

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as LDB345678-1951-001C and cross-referenced as Cohen 51-B97 and Hardy 51P-3-8Mul+1, this 1951 Proof Lincoln Wheat Cent exhibits a die break variety where a piece of the die fractured away, leaving a raised area of unstruck metal on the coin. The Hardy designation "51P-3-8Mul+1" encodes the die break's position and extent, with a conditional note: if the crack stops at the letter Y, the alternative Hardy designation 51P-3-7Mul+1 applies instead, reflecting how die break cataloging depends on the precise extent of the fracture as the die deteriorated through its production life. This conditional attribution acknowledges that die breaks are progressive — they grow over time as the die absorbs repeated striking impacts — and different specimens from the same die may show varying crack lengths depending on when they were struck relative to the break's development. The 1951 Proof Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which handled proof production throughout the Wheat Cent era. Struck in 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc at 3.11 grams on 19mm planchets, the 1951 proof mintage of 57,500 sets makes proof die breaks from this era considerably scarcer than their circulation counterparts. The triple cross-referencing across Cohen, Hardy, and Cuds on Coins catalogs demonstrates the thorough documentation of die break varieties on Lincoln Cents.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen 51-B97, Hardy 51P-3-8Mul+1. If crack stops at “Y” 51P-3-7Mul+1. 03/04/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References