LDB1-1953S-001 BIE Die Break

Description

From the San Francisco Mint's 1953 Lincoln Wheat Cent production, LDB1-1953S-001 records the first cataloged BIE die break for this date-mint. San Francisco struck approximately 181 million cents in 1953, a modest output compared to Philadelphia and Denver that translates to a smaller die population and fewer opportunities for die chip varieties to develop. The BIE phenomenon occurs when die steel fatigue causes a fragment to separate from the recessed area between the B and E of LIBERTY, leaving a channel in the die that fills with planchet metal under striking pressure to create the characteristic raised bump. The "LDB1" catalog prefix places this variety within a specific location category in the Cuds on Coins classification system. BIE collecting has attracted a dedicated following because the varieties offer visual drama—an apparent extra letter in LIBERTY—at price points accessible to collectors at every level. San Francisco cents from the early 1950s are the facility's penultimate circulation-strike issues before the 1955 cessation. Cataloged and verified by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Nolan Workman
• Cross reference: none. 03/11/2019.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References