LDB4-1998D-001 BIE Die Break

Description

Transitioning from the Wheat reverse era into the Lincoln Memorial design, LDB4-1998D-001 documents the first cataloged BIE die break on a 1998-D Lincoln Memorial Cent. Hardy's designation 98D-4EH+ places this break in the EH positional zone within the B-to-E area of LIBERTY on a Denver Mint specimen, demonstrating that the BIE phenomenon persists across different reverse designs because the obverse — where the break occurs — remained essentially unchanged from Brenner's original 1909 portrait throughout the Memorial era (1959-2008). The stress concentration between B and E is a function of obverse die geometry, not the reverse, explaining why BIE breaks appear on Wheat, Memorial, and later Lincoln Cent issues alike. The 1998-D had a substantial mintage typical of Denver's late-1990s cent production, and the zinc-core copper-plated composition (standard since 1982) produced different striking dynamics than the earlier bronze alloy, potentially affecting how stress fractures developed in the die steel. As the sole cataloged BIE variety for 1998-D, LDB4-1998D-001 may represent an early discovery with additional varieties awaiting documentation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Craig Smith
• Cross reference:  Hardy Index  98D-4EH+. 11/01/2021.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References