1954PR-1DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Trail dies on proof coinage are exceptionally uncommon, making this 1954 Proof Lincoln Wheat cent trail die obverse a notable cataloging entry. Trail lines, the short raised lines that extend from design elements, are visible emanating from LIBERTY, IN, and the date, offset at approximately 160 degrees from their normal positions. These lines result from incomplete design transfer during the hubbing process, where the hub was not fully seated, leaving faint traces of design elements at their offset positions. Stage B specimens are at mid-die state. Obverse die markers include diagonal die scratches oriented northwest to southeast in the field in front of Lincoln's lips and chin. The reverse shows a small die crack in the upper left wheat ear. Proof Lincoln cents were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with specially prepared dies and polished planchets, making any die-manufacturing anomaly on a proof issue especially noteworthy. The 1954 proof set had a mintage of 233,300, though only a small subset would have been struck from this particular die.

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