LDB6-1995-001 BIE Die Break

Description

First documented BIE die break at Hardy position 6 for the 1995 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent, this entry establishes the foundational catalog entry for position 6 breaks on a date already famous for a different variety entirely — the celebrated 1995 doubled die obverse. Cross-referenced with Hardy Index 95P-6SBHM and cataloged on January 18, 2018, by Cuds on Coins, the 001 sequence number marks the initial discovery that opened position 6 documentation for this date. The Hardy classification 95P-6SBHM places this break within a specific sublocation of position 6, using the multi-character SBHM suffix to encode precise positional information within the LIBERTY inscription zone. As the inaugural entry, LDB6-1995-001 prompted subsequent searches that eventually yielded additional position 6 varieties (002 through 005 and potentially beyond), establishing that die failure at this location was not a singular anomaly but a recurring phenomenon across multiple 1995-P die pairs. Hardy position 6 represents the rightmost zone of the LIBERTY inscription, an area where die metal experiences different stress profiles than the more central positions due to its proximity to Lincoln's portrait detail and the field boundary. The 1995 Philadelphia cent was struck during a period of high-volume production — billions of cents annually — that consumed massive numbers of die pairs and generated corresponding opportunities for die deterioration varieties. The connection to the famous 1995 DDO means that vast quantities of this date have been examined under magnification, making the 1995-P one of the most thoroughly searched dates in Lincoln Cent history and ensuring that die break varieties receive unusually comprehensive documentation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Zach Llewellyn
• Cross reference: Hardy Index 95P-6SBHM. 01/18/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References