LDB123446-1941-001 Die Break

Description

Proof die fracture on the 1941 Lincoln Wheat Cent, LDB123446-1941-001 documents a die break on one of the 15,412 proof sets produced at Philadelphia that year — a remarkably small proof mintage that places 1941 proof cents among the scarcer issues in the Wheat Cent proof series. Cross-referenced as Cohen 41-BA1 with cataloging date January 11, 2019 by Cuds on Coins, the Cohen reference system provides an alternative lookup within the specialized Lincoln Cent proof die break literature. The "LDB123446" prefix in the catalog code follows the extended Cuds on Coins numbering convention for die break varieties that do not fall into the standard cud classification. Die breaks on proof coins are forensically significant: proof dies receive mirror-finish preparation through multiple cycles of polishing and acid treatment, and they are typically retired well before the deterioration levels tolerated on business strike dies — meaning a die break on a proof die represents either an unusually severe stress event or a fracture that developed very rapidly, outpacing the inspection intervals that would normally catch a developing crack. The 1941 proof production total of 15,412 sets means that any proof die break variety from this date has a very limited maximum population, constrained not by the survival rate typical of business strikes but by the small number of coins struck from the broken die before its replacement. Collectors of Lincoln Wheat Cent proof varieties actively seek die breaks as evidence of production anomalies within this carefully controlled minting process.

Attribution History

• Cross references: Cohen 41-BA1, LDB123446-1941-001. 01/11/2019.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References