LDB4-1957-017 Die Break

Description

Hardy reference 57P-4EL+26 identifies LDB4-1957-017 as an element-level die break on the 1957 Proof Lincoln Wheat Cent, with the "4EL" classification placing the fracture through a design element — such as lettering, the portrait, or the wheat ears — rather than in the open field area. The "+26" positional suffix provides precise location data within the element-level taxonomy, enabling cross-comparison with other element-level breaks documented on 1957 proof dies. Cross-referenced as Cohen Pending, this variety was cataloged September 8, 2016 by Cuds on Coins. Element-level breaks are diagnostically distinct from field-level breaks because the fractured die metal at a design element creates a raised area on struck coins that partially obscures or distorts the underlying design detail, producing a different visual signature than the smooth raised area characteristic of field-level fractures. Philadelphia produced 1,247,952 proof sets in 1957, and the seventeenth documented break for this date continues to build the statistical foundation for understanding die fracture distribution on proof Lincoln Wheat Cents. The Cohen Pending status awaits formal cross-reference validation, a process that requires photographic comparison against the existing Cohen catalog of documented breaks for this date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross references: Cohen Pending, Hardy 57P-4EL+26. 09/08/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References