LDB4-1957-001 BIE Die Break

Description

A BIE die break on the 1957 Philadelphia Lincoln Wheat Cent, cataloged as LDB4-1957-001, where a die crack between the letters B-E-R-T of LIBERTY produced a raised vertical bar resembling the letter I. Cross-referenced as Cohen 57-B596 and Hardy 57P-4EL+25, with the "EL+" suffix in Hardy's system indicating a break that extends three-quarters of the way down and below the lowest level of the adjacent letters — a classification detail that helps distinguish major breaks from minor hairline fractures. BIE varieties rank among the most popular Lincoln Cent collecting specialties, and the 1957 date represents one of the final years where these errors could occur on the original Wheat Cent reverse design by Victor David Brenner. Die breaks between LIBERTY letters result from stress concentrations in the narrow die metal separating closely spaced incuse letter cavities. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as of July 2015.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen 57-B596, Hardy 57P-4EL+25. 07/13/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References