LDB4-1957D-001 BIE Die Break

Description

First documented BIE die break for the 1957 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this founding entry establishes the beginning of what would become one of the most extensively cataloged BIE die break populations in the entire Wheat Cent series. A BIE die break occurs when a small fracture develops in the die steel between the letters of LIBERTY, creating a void that fills with metal during striking and produces a raised vertical bar on the coin's surface. Cross-referenced as Cohen 57D-B373 and Hardy 57D-4SDL+8, this variety was cataloged on 07/13/2015. The Hardy designation 4SDL+8 precisely locates the break within the LIBERTY area, with the SDL suffix providing sub-position coordinates that distinguish this particular fracture from the dozens of other BIE breaks subsequently discovered on 1957-D dies. The 1957-D was the penultimate Denver Mint Wheat Cent — only the 1958-D remained before Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced Brenner's wheat ears in 1959. Denver produced over 1.05 billion cents in 1957, a massive output that consumed hundreds of die pairs and ensured that numerous dies developed BIE fractures during their service life. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this first-in-series entry serves as the anchor for a substantial BIE die break registry that documents systematic die deterioration patterns across the 1957-D production run.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen 57D-B373, Hardy 57D-4SDL+8. 07/13/2015.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References