LDB4-1956-014D Die Break

Description

Classified as the fourth stage in a four-stage die progression, LDB4-1956-014D documents the terminal deterioration of a 1956 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent obverse die that developed a large die crack across Lincoln's nose. The D suffix in the catalog number designates this as stage four of four, making it the final documented state of a die whose earlier stages (014A through 014C) chart the progressive growth of the crack from initial appearance through advanced propagation. The Hardy reference lists this variety as 56P-4DHM, placing it in the die-half-medium classification zone, while Cohen has not assigned a number — suggesting this particular die progression may have been documented after the Cohen reference was compiled. Die markers for this terminal stage include a large die crack on Lincoln's nose, with no notable reverse markers recorded, indicating that the obverse die deteriorated significantly while the paired reverse die remained in relatively sound condition. Stage four of a four-stage progression represents the die's final usable state before the Mint retired it from service, and the large nose crack would have been visible to press operators as a sign that the die had reached the end of its operational life. The 1956 Philadelphia Lincoln Wheat Cent carried a mintage of 420,745,000 coins, a substantial output that consumed numerous die pairs and created the conditions for documented die progressions like this four-stage sequence. Cross-referenced through Cuds on Coins, this variety is valued by specialists who collect complete die stage progressions, seeking examples of each stage to reconstruct the full deterioration history of a single die across its production lifespan.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen Not Listed, Hardy 56P-4DHM.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References