LDB4-1957-008 Die Break

Description

Cataloged as LDB4-1957-008 within the die break classification system, this variety appears on the 1957 Philadelphia-struck Lincoln Wheat cent, part of the Lincoln Wheat Cents 1909-1958 series. The coin is composed of 95% copper and 5% tin-and-zinc, weighing 3.1 grams with a 19 mm diameter. This die break carries the 4DL+ classification, indicating a break that extends half or more but less than three-quarters of the letter height, projecting below the lowest level of the surrounding letters. Cross-referenced as Hardy 57P-4DL+ with a Cohen catalog number pending as documented on July 21, 2015, this variety was cataloged by the Cuds on Coins reference project. Die breaks on Lincoln cents are systematically classified using a precise measurement taxonomy: "DL+" denotes breaks extending downward beyond the letter baseline, "BH+" describes breaks projecting above the letter tops at less than one-quarter height, "F+" marks full breaks extending both above and below the letters, and "S" indicates a semi die break where the die fragment remains partially attached. The 1957 Philadelphia Mint produced over one billion Lincoln cents that year, providing an enormous surviving population from which variety hunters continue to discover new die break specimens decades after production. This variety represents the penultimate year of the wheat reverse design that had been in continuous use since 1909, as the Lincoln Memorial reverse would debut just two years later in 1959 upon the sesquicentennial of Lincoln's birth.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen Pending, Hardy 57P-4DL+. 07/21/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References