LDB4-1951S-001 BIE Die Break

Description

First cataloged BIE die break for the 1951 San Francisco Lincoln Wheat Cent, LDB4-1951S-001 documents a small raised vertical bar appearing between the letters B and E in LIBERTY. The BIE phenomenon — one of the most widely collected Lincoln cent die break varieties — occurs when a die crack develops in the field between B and E, creating a gap that fills with metal during striking and produces what appears to be a tiny raised letter I, inadvertently spelling "LIBIERTY." The crack's location is not coincidental: the spacing between B and E combined with the depth of the die recess creates a stress concentration where fatigue cracks preferentially nucleate. Cuds on Coins catalogs BIE varieties under the LDB4 prefix (Lincoln Die Break, position 4), followed by date, mintmark, and sequence number. San Francisco's 1951-S cent was struck in 95% copper on 19mm planchets, with the S mintmark below the date identifying the facility. Brenner's portrait and the wheat ear reverse were in their forty-second year of continuous production. Examine the space between B and E in LIBERTY for the characteristic raised vertical bar.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Fred Weinberg
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References