LDB5-1951-001 Die Break

Description

First and only LDB5-classified die break cataloged for the 1951 Proof Lincoln Wheat Cent, LDB5-1951-001 carries a distinctive Hardy reference: 51P-ALR+1, where the "ALR" prefix differs markedly from the "4EL" and "4FL" designations common on 1957 proof breaks. The ALR classification indicates this break affects the area to the left of the rim — a positional category that describes fractures at the extreme periphery of the die face, near the junction with the collar, where the transition from design to rim concentrates mechanical stress. Cross-referenced as Cohen 51-BA701, this variety was cataloged March 5, 2016 by Cuds on Coins. Philadelphia produced 57,500 proof sets in 1951, a dramatically smaller output than the 1,247,952 sets struck in 1957, making 1951 proof varieties inherently scarcer. The confirmed Cohen 51-BA701 reference provides independent system validation, and the "BA" prefix in the Cohen number distinguishes this break's classification category from the "B" prefix used for other types. Victor David Brenner's Wheat Ears reverse was in its forty-third year of proof production by 1951, and the ALR positional classification documents a break type that differs fundamentally from the field-level and element-level fractures more commonly cataloged across the Wheat Cent proof series.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen 51-BA701, Hardy 51P-ALR+1. 03/05/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References