LDB4-1956-004C BIE Die Break

Description

Cross-referenced in two independent catalogs — Cohen 56-B652 and Hardy NL (not listed in the Hardy system at time of documentation) — this BIE die break on a 1956 Lincoln Wheat Cent represents one of the most popular and accessible collecting specialties in American numismatics. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, "BIE" varieties feature a small die break between the letters B and E of LIBERTY that fills with metal during striking, producing a raised vertical line resembling the letter "I" — hence the acronym B-I-E. The "LDB4" prefix places this in the die break classification at Hardy position 4, and the "004C" sequence number identifies it as the fourth documented variety at this position for the 1956 date, with C indicating a specific sub-variety or die state. The phenomenon occurs when a small section of the die face between these two letters develops a crack or chip, and the resulting void fills with coin metal during the striking process. BIE die breaks have captured collector imagination because the resulting "extra letter" creates a visually amusing anomaly — the word LIBERTY appears to read "LIBERTY" with an extra I inserted between B and E. The 1956 Philadelphia Wheat Cent was produced in the series' penultimate year, when V.D.B.'s wheat ears reverse was nearing its half-century of continuous service. BIE varieties can often be found by sorting through rolls and bags of Wheat Cents at relatively modest cost, making them an excellent entry point for beginning die variety collectors while still offering enough depth — with hundreds of cataloged varieties across the series — to sustain long-term collecting interest.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Earl M
• Cross references: Cohen 56-B652, Hardy NL.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References