LDB4-1957D-028 BIE Die Break

Description

Twenty-eighth BIE die break for the 1957 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety occupies the middle range of a catalog that would eventually expand to dozens of entries as researchers continued examining the vast surviving population of this high-mintage date. Cross-referenced as Cohen 57D-B507 and Hardy 57D-4FL+10, this variety was cataloged on 08/03/2015. The Hardy position 4FL+10 places this break in the FL sub-zone of the LIBERTY inscription — the area between the F-like descender of the L and the following letter — at a position offset of +10 from the zone's reference point. This FL zone represents a different fracture region from the more commonly documented EL and EH areas, indicating that BIE die breaks occurred across the full width of the LIBERTY inscription, not just at a single preferred location. The Cohen cross-reference at 57D-B507 provides independent corroboration in a second reference system. Twenty-eight documented BIE breaks by the August 2015 cataloging date represented a substantial accumulation, though the total would continue growing as additional specimens were identified. Denver's 1957 cent production exceeded one billion pieces, creating a statistical population large enough to support this concentration of documented die fractures. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, entry 028 adds an FL-zone data point to the positional distribution map of 1957-D BIE die breaks, contributing to researchers' understanding of where fractures most frequently developed across the LIBERTY inscription.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen 57D-B507, Hardy 57D-4FL+10. 08/03/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References