LDB4-2007-003 BIE Die Break

Description

Third BIE die break at Hardy position 4 for the 2007 Lincoln Memorial Cent, this variety carries the distinctive Hardy Index classification "4EH+" — where "EH+" indicates a break that extends three-quarters or more of the way between the B and E letter tops and reaches above the highest level of the letters. The classification system for this variety provides a detailed vocabulary for describing BIE fracture geometry: "CL" denotes a break of one-quarter or more but less than one-half in the lower portion, while "S" indicates a semi die break — terminology that enables precise description of how much of the vertical space between B and E the fracture fills and whether it extends above or below the letter tops. The "EH+" designation for LDB4-2007-003 places this among the more extensive BIE breaks, with the fracture filling nearly the full height between the letters and projecting above them — creating a particularly prominent raised bar on struck coins that may be visible without magnification. Cross-referenced through the Hardy Index with documentation from January 2024, this variety was cataloged during a period when Memorial Cent BIE research was extending into the design's final years. The 2007-P Lincoln Memorial Cent was the penultimate Philadelphia Mint Memorial Cent before the 2009 bicentennial designs, and BIE die breaks on these terminal Memorial dates carry particular interest as last-era examples of a phenomenon that had been documented across the design's entire fifty-year production span. Three documented BIE die breaks for 2007 at position 4 represents a modest but growing catalog as researchers turn their attention to examining the Memorial Cent's final production years.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Pamela Sheldon
• Cross reference: Hardy Index 4EH+. 01/15/2024.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References