LDB4-2008-001 BIE Die Break

Description

Documented by Cuds on Coins and cross-referenced as Hardy 2008P 4BL+, LDB4-2008-001 is a BIE die break variety discovered on the 2008 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent. The Hardy classification "BL+" indicates a break extending less than one-quarter the height of the letters below the lowest level of the letters, placing this in the smaller category of BIE breaks. BIE die breaks are a distinctive class of die deterioration unique to Lincoln Cents, where a small raised bump of metal appears between the B and E of LIBERTY on the obverse — the result of a die crack or small die chip in the recessed field area between these two letters that allows metal to flow upward during striking, creating what resembles a capital letter I. The LDB4 prefix in the catalog number indicates this is a "Lateral Die Break type 4" in the systematic classification system used by Cuds on Coins to organize the hundreds of known BIE varieties across the Lincoln Cent series. The 2008 Lincoln Memorial Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc composition (2.500 grams, 19.05 mm diameter) — the final year of Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse before the 2009 bicentennial designs and the 2010 introduction of the Union Shield reverse. Victor David Brenner's portrait of Abraham Lincoln has appeared on the obverse continuously since 1909. BIE die breaks are among the most accessible die varieties for beginning collectors, as they are often visible to the unaided eye and occur with sufficient frequency across the Lincoln Cent series to make them a popular introductory collecting specialty.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Vivien Bullard
• Cross reference: Hardy 2008P 4BL+. 02/24/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References