LDB4-1955S-011E BIE Die Break

Description

Eleventh cataloged BIE die break for the 1955 San Francisco Lincoln Wheat Cent, sub-variety E, extending the documented record to at least eleven distinct dies exhibiting this crack pattern. For a mint in its final year of Wheat Cent production, eleven BIE dies represents a notable concentration — suggesting that San Francisco's dies were worked to near-exhaustion before replacement, consistent with a facility winding down cent operations. The E suffix denotes a later sub-variety, possibly a more advanced die state where the crack between B and E widened or extended into the surrounding field. Each sub-variety within a numbered BIE provides die-state progression data that helps reconstruct how the crack evolved during service. Cuds on Coins catalogs these under the LDB4 prefix, with position 4 corresponding to the B-E gap in LIBERTY. The 1955-S cent was struck on 95% copper planchets at 19mm, the last San Francisco circulation-strike Wheat Cent. Examine the B-E space in LIBERTY for the raised vertical bar.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Marvin L
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References