LDB4-2008-002 BIE Die Break

Description

Cross-referenced with Hardy Index 2008P 4BL+ and cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this second BIE die break at Hardy position 4 for the 2008 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent documents a vertical die crack between the B and E of LIBERTY during the final year of the Memorial reverse design. The "BL+" Hardy sub-position places the fracture at a specific location within the position 4 zone, with the plus designation potentially indicating an extended or prominent crack beyond the baseline BL classification. BIE die breaks on the 2008-P cent carry special significance as the last BIE varieties possible on the Memorial Cent reverse type — the 2009 bicentennial designs and subsequent 2010 Shield reverse would offer different die stress patterns. The 2008 cent was produced at Philadelphia in quantities exceeding 2.55 billion coins, consuming vast numbers of die pairs that each faced the mechanical stresses leading to LIBERTY-area fractures. Two documented BIE breaks at Hardy position 4 for the 2008-P represents a moderate count for a final-year issue. The BL+ designation within the Hardy classification provides the granular positioning data that die break specialists use to differentiate between BIE varieties on the same date — since multiple dies can develop cracks in similar but not identical locations, the precise sub-position coding ensures each variety is uniquely cataloged. As one of the terminal Memorial Cent BIE entries, LDB4-2008-002 helps close the chapter on nearly fifty years of BIE die break documentation on Frank Gasparro's reverse design, preserving the final data points before the design transition that would bring new die stress patterns and new BIE varieties on a fundamentally different reverse.

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Koprivec
• Cross reference: Hardy 2008P 4BL+. 04/15/2024.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References