LDB6-1998-001 BIE Die Break

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins under the Lincoln Die Break system as LDB6-1998-001, this 1998 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent exhibits the classic BIE die break — a small die chip between the letters B and E of LIBERTY on the obverse that fills with metal during striking, producing a raised vertical bar resembling a capital I between the two letters. BIE breaks form when fatigue cracks develop in the narrow field area between B and E, eventually causing a small fragment of the die surface to chip away and leave an incuse void. Every coin struck after the chip fills that void with metal, creating the distinctive raised bump collectors call a "BIE." While BIE varieties exist across many dates in the Lincoln Cent series, each one is unique to a specific die and represents a distinct point of failure. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait, first introduced in 1909, was in its eighty-ninth year of production by 1998, struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets at 19mm. The LDB6 catalog prefix identifies this as a Lincoln Die Break documented in the sixth positional category. Look between B and E of LIBERTY for the raised I-shaped bump that defines this variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Bennett
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References