LDB4-1957-026 Die Break

Description

Confirmed Cohen cross-reference 57-B604 and Hardy reference 57P-4FH+15 give LDB4-1957-026 dual-system validation that many other 1957 Proof Lincoln Wheat Cent die breaks lack. The Hardy "4FH" designation places this fracture in the fourth field level, upper half of the die — a more specific positional classification than the generic 4FL+ notation, distinguishing breaks occurring in the upper field from those in the lower field area. The "+15" suffix adds further spatial precision within the upper-half field zone. Cataloged August 3, 2016 by Cuds on Coins, this variety benefits from a confirmed Cohen number rather than the "Pending" status carried by many contemporary entries, indicating that independent photographic verification has validated this break within the Cohen classification framework. Philadelphia's 1957 proof production of 1,247,952 sets, featuring Victor David Brenner's Wheat Ears reverse in its forty-eighth year, generated dies subjected to the elevated striking pressure characteristic of proof coinage. The upper-half field designation raises the question of whether proof die fractures cluster preferentially in certain regions of the die face, and accumulated data from entries like LDB4-1957-026 contributes to answering this question through systematic positional mapping of documented breaks across the entire 1957 proof die break census.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Juan Aguerre
• Cross references: Cohen 57-B604, Hardy 57P-4FH+15. 08/03/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References