LDB4-1996-003 BIE Die Break

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with the Hardy Index designation 4DLM, this third BIE die break at Hardy position 4 for the 1996 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent documents a vertical die crack between the B and E of LIBERTY that creates the characteristic raised bar resembling an extra letter I. BIE die breaks are among the most visually distinctive minor die varieties on Lincoln Cents, as the vertical fracture fills with metal during striking to produce a clearly visible raised line that stands out between the letters. The Hardy classification system assigns precise positions within the LIBERTY inscription, and position 4 with the DLM sub-designation places this crack at a specific zone that distinguishes it from the other two documented BIE breaks at this position for the 1996-P date. The 1996 Lincoln Memorial Cent was produced during a year that also yielded the famous 1996-W Roosevelt Dime — included in special Mint Sets to mark the dime's 50th anniversary — which generated heightened collector interest in 1996-dated coins generally. Philadelphia struck substantial quantities of cents that year, consuming numerous die pairs that each carried the potential for developing stress fractures in the LIBERTY area. Three BIE breaks at Hardy position 4 indicates that the die geometry at this location concentrated stress in a manner conducive to vertical cracking. The DLM Hardy sub-position provides granular attribution data that places this particular crack within a classification framework developed specifically for organizing the hundreds of BIE die breaks documented across all Lincoln Cent dates. Memorial Cent BIE breaks bridge the Wheat Cent era tradition of BIE collecting into the modern design period.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Barry Godwin
• Cross reference: Hardy Index 4DLM. 07/13/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References