LDB4-1957-005 BIE Die Break

Description

Cross-referenced as Cohen Pending and Hardy 57P-4F (as of July 2015), this BIE die break on the 1957 Lincoln Wheat Cent is designated LDB4-1957-005 in the Cuds on Coins registry. The Hardy classification "4F" places this break in the category where the raised metal bar sits flush with both the highest and lowest levels of the surrounding letters — meaning the BIE bar neither protrudes above the tops of B and E nor recedes below their baselines, but instead presents a smooth vertical bridge at the same plane as the adjacent letter surfaces. This flush profile reflects a fracture geometry where the die steel separated along a relatively flat plane, with the displaced fragment departing cleanly rather than leaving an irregular cavity that would produce a bar of varying height. The "F" designation contrasts with "EL+" breaks (which extend below letter baselines) and "AU" breaks (which rise above letter tops), providing collectors with a standardized vocabulary for describing bar height across the thousands of documented BIE varieties in the Lincoln Cent series. Cohen's pending status indicates this variety was submitted for cross-referencing in the Cohen BIE census but had not yet received a formal Cohen catalog number at the time of listing. The 1957 Philadelphia Mint issue, struck at a mintage exceeding 282 million pieces, generated dozens of known BIE die breaks across its production run — a natural consequence of the enormous number of die pairs required to produce such a large quantity of cents. Collectors should examine the LIBERTY inscription under low-angle lighting at 5x to 10x magnification, looking for the characteristic flush-height vertical bar bridging the gap between B and E.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen Pending, Hardy 57P-4F. 07/20/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References