LDB4-1955S-015 BIE Die Break

Description

Fifteenth documented BIE die break on a 1955 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety records another instance of the inter-letter die fracture phenomenon at Hardy position 4 within the LIBERTY inscription. Cross-referenced as Cohen Not Listed and Hardy 55S-4SBL+, this entry was documented on October 26, 2017, by Cuds on Coins. The Hardy code 55S-4SBL+ identifies both the date-mintmark combination and the precise break location within the letter spacing. San Francisco cent production in 1955 was modest compared to Philadelphia and Denver, yielding approximately 44.6 million coins — a fraction of the output from the other two facilities. This lower production volume means fewer die pairs were consumed, and consequently fewer BIE varieties were generated, making each S-mint BIE inherently scarcer than its P or D counterparts. The BIE mechanism involves progressive fatigue failure of the thin die steel ridge separating adjacent incuse letter cavities: as the die accumulates hundreds of thousands of strikes, micro-cracks initiate at stress concentrations and propagate until the ridge collapses, creating a void that fills with coin metal. The resulting raised bar on the struck coin varies in width and height depending on the severity of the fracture. Fifteen BIE breaks from the 1955-S cent represents a respectable catalog depth for a lower-mintage issue, and the "Not Listed" Cohen status suggests this variety awaits incorporation into that reference system.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Earl M
• Cross references: Cohen Not Listed, Hardy 55S-4SBL+. 10/26/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References