LDB4-2007-001 BIE Die Break

Description

Cross-referenced to the Hardy Index as 4F and dated August 13, 2015 in the Cuds on Coins catalog, this BIE die break on the 2007 (P) Lincoln Memorial Cent presents the characteristic vertical bar of raised metal that appears between letters in the word LIBERTY when die steel fractures in the recessed field area between letter punches. The Hardy Index designation "4F" carries specific technical meaning: the "F" code indicates a break that is flush with the highest and lowest levels of the adjacent letters, meaning the raised bar created by the die fracture rises to approximately the same plane as the tops of the surrounding letterforms rather than protruding above or sitting recessed below them. This flush geometry reflects a fracture plane that propagated horizontally through the die steel at a depth corresponding to the letter relief height, producing a clean, even bar rather than an irregular protrusion. As a 2007 Philadelphia Mint issue bearing no mintmark (the "P" designation is parenthetical for Philadelphia Cents), this coin was struck in the zinc core / copper plating composition that has characterized Lincoln Cents since 1982 — a 97.5% zinc / 2.5% copper planchet weighing 2.5 grams, significantly lighter than the pre-1982 bronze composition. The Lincoln Memorial reverse by Frank Gasparro, featuring the Lincoln Memorial with its twelve columns and central seated Lincoln statue, was in its penultimate period of use when this die break occurred, as the Memorial reverse would be replaced by four rotating reverse designs in 2009 and the permanent Union Shield reverse in 2010. BIE collectors actively seek examples from every year of the Memorial Cent series to build date-complete sets of this distinctive die failure type.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Smith
• Cross reference: Hardy Index 4F. 08/13/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References