LDB4-1956-017B BIE Die Break

Description

Representing the second stage in a two-stage die progression, this BIE die break on a 1956 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent is classified as 4FH+ under the Hardy system. BIE die breaks form when a vertical crack develops in the die between the letters of LIBERTY, creating a void that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised bar resembling an extra letter I. This variety carries the B suffix designating Stage 2 of 2, following Stage 1 documented as Cohen 56-BA648 where the top of the BIE manifested as a die crack. By this second stage, the crack had widened to produce the full raised bar. Additional die markers include a die chip on C in CENT and a die crack from the rim through the right wheat stalk to the last S in STATES. Cross-referenced as Cohen 56-B649 and Hardy 56P-4FH+, this variety is cataloged by Cuds on Coins. The seventeenth BIE at position 4 for the 1956 date speaks to the substantial production volume of Philadelphia wheat cents during the final years of the series.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen 56-B649, Hardy 56P-4FH+.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References