LDB4-1955-007 BIE Die Break

Description

Seventh in the BIE catalog for the 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent, LDB4-1955-007 records another vertical die break between B and E in LIBERTY. The year 1955 is already famous for the dramatic 1955 Doubled Die Obverse — one of the most recognizable error coins in American numismatics — but the date also produced multiple BIE varieties as working dies fractured during service. Each BIE die break is unique in its precise position, width, and length, since the crack follows the path of least resistance through the stressed steel between deeply cut letter recesses. Some appear as thin hairlines barely wider than a thread, while others develop into substantial raised bars. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins under the LDB4 system, the sequence number 007 indicates six other BIE varieties were documented for 1955 before this one. Brenner's wheat cent design was in its final years by 1955, with only three more years of production before the Memorial reverse replaced the wheat ears in 1959. Inspect the space between B and E in LIBERTY for the raised vertical mark.

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