LDB4-2004-002 BIE Die Break

Description

Cataloged by Cuds on Coins as LDB4-2004-002 with the die break classification "4CL+", this 2004 Lincoln Memorial cent BIE error features a raised bar between the letters B and E in LIBERTY. The "CH+" classification in the cataloging system indicates a break of one-quarter or more but less than one-half the height of the surrounding letters, extending above the highest level of the letters -- a mid-range break height that makes this variety readily visible under low magnification. Additional classification codes "BH" (break less than one-quarter letter height as an upper die break) and "S" (semi die break) describe supplementary break characteristics documented for this die. Cross-referenced simply as "none" per the 10/15/2018 listing date, this variety has no published equivalents in other cataloging systems. BIE die breaks represent one of the most popular and accessible collecting specialties in American numismatics, arising from die cracks or chips in the structurally vulnerable zone between the B and E in LIBERTY on the Lincoln cent obverse. The relatively thin die metal bridging these two letters is prone to fracturing under the repeated impact of high-speed striking, and when the crack fills with metal during the striking process, it produces the characteristic raised vertical bar that resembles a capital letter I. Philadelphia struck 3,379,600,000 cents in 2004, an enormous production volume that exercised dies intensively and generated numerous die break varieties. The LDB4 prefix in the cataloging code identifies this as part of the systematic die break taxonomy developed by the Cuds on Coins research community.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Vivien Bullard
• Cross reference: none. 10/15/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References