LDB4-1955S-009B BIE Die Break

Description

The second die state of Die 009 from San Francisco's 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent production, LDB4-1955S-009B shares the same Hardy code as the A state — 55S-4SBL+1, a Small Back-Left BIE fracture with 1 additional die break — but receives a distinct Cohen cross-reference of BA154, differentiating it from BA153 assigned to the earlier 009A state. Die state progression in BIE research tracks how fractures evolve as a die continues striking coins: widening, deepening, or spawning new secondary cracks. That the Hardy code remains 4SBL+1 across both A and B states suggests the additional-break count had not yet increased between these two stages, with the progression instead manifesting in subtler changes to the primary break's width or depth. San Francisco struck 44.61 million cents in 1955 — the last S-mint circulation issue — and tracking individual die states across this final production run provides insight into San Francisco's die management practices during its twilight year for business-strike cent coinage. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, the 009B state documents the middle chapter of this die's service life before further deterioration recorded in later suffixes.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen 55S-BA154, Hardy 55S-4SBL+1. 10/01/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References