1957 Lincoln Wheat Cent - LDB4-1957-060 BIE Die Break

Description

Remarkable for its high sequence number, LDB4-1957-060 is the sixtieth cataloged BIE die break for the 1957 Lincoln Wheat Cent — an extraordinary count speaking to both collector scrutiny and the sheer number of dies that fractured between B and E in LIBERTY. Sixty distinct BIE varieties from a single year means sixty different obverse dies each cracked in this vulnerable area, a testament to the stresses high-volume cent production imposed on die steel. The Cuds on Coins LDB4 catalog assigns sequential numbers as varieties are reported, and reaching 060 for one date places 1957 among the most prolific BIE producers in the Lincoln Cent series. Each break differs in precise location, width, and character — some are thin hairlines while others are broad raised bars — making the subset a collecting pursuit in its own right. The 1957 cent was struck in the second-to-last year of the wheat reverse at Philadelphia, produced in sufficient quantities to supply extensive die runs. Look for the raised vertical element between B and E that earned these varieties their evocative three-letter name.

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