LDB4-1955D-004 BIE Die Break

Description

Produced at Denver in the same year as the legendary 1955 Doubled Die Obverse — arguably the most famous error in American numismatics — this BIE die break occupies the Down-Left position under Hardy code 55D-4DL+. The 1955-D is distinct from the 1955 Philadelphia DDO; Denver produced 563.3 million cents of its own, generating a deep pool of working dies and the accompanying variety of die failures. Position 4DL places the raised bar in the lower-left zone between LIBERTY's letters, a location that recurs across multiple 1955-D dies in the Hardy catalog. The "+" suffix indicates a single additional feature beyond the primary BIE bar — modest supplementary deterioration suggesting the die was retired before extensive cracking developed. BIE die breaks form when a chip or crack between LIBERTY's letters fills with metal during striking, producing the characteristic raised vertical line. The Cohen Index has not cataloged this variety. Among the numerous 1955-D BIE dies documented at the Down-Left position, die 004 and die 005 share identical position codes and feature counts, distinguished only by their die numbers and break geometry.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen Not Listed, Hardy 55D-4DL+. 07/18/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References