LDB6-1946-001 BIE Die Break

Description

Documented by Cuds on Coins and cross-referenced as Cohen 46-B1101 and Hardy 46P-6Dot-1, this 1946 Lincoln Wheat Cent exhibits a BIE die break — a distinctive variety type where a die crack between the letters B and E of LIBERTY fills with metal during striking, producing a raised vertical bar that resembles the letter I between those two letters, visually spelling "BLIE." The Cuds on Coins catalog note indicates Hardy originally listed this as 46P-6Dot-1, though the "Dot" designation is considered a misnomer — the cataloger suggests it should more properly be designated "46P-6SDLM" to reflect the actual die break morphology. BIE die breaks are among the most popular and widely collected die deterioration varieties on Lincoln Cents, occurring when stress fractures develop in the die face between specific letters of LIBERTY, with the B-to-E position being the most commonly documented. The 1946 Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in the standard post-war bronze composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.0 mm and a plain edge — the year marking the return to normal copper alloy after the wartime steel cents of 1943 and shell case alloy cents of 1944-1945. Victor David Brenner's obverse design positions the LIBERTY inscription at a location on the die face that is particularly susceptible to stress cracking, which explains the frequency of BIE die breaks across multiple dates. The triple cross-referencing under Cuds on Coins, Cohen, and Hardy systems provides robust attribution confidence for this post-war variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen 46-B1101, Hardy 46P-6Dot-1. 07/20/2106.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References