1983D-1DEO-002T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Found by Jeremy Gardner, 1983D-1DEO-002T records a trail die obverse variety on the 1983 Denver Lincoln Memorial cent, documented at the advanced Stage C die state. At this late-die-state condition, the die's extended service life has produced two notable reverse diagnostics: a light die crack running from the left base corner of the Lincoln Memorial to the rim, and a small die crack on the bottom arm of the E in AMERICA. These progressive fractures trace the reverse die's structural deterioration as it neared the end of its useful lifespan, and they function as precise attribution markers that distinguish this die pair from all others in the 1983-D trail die census. Trail die varieties on Lincoln cents result from the hubbing process — when a working hub impresses a design into a working die, incomplete seating or residual impressions from a prior hubbing can leave faint design remnants that transfer to struck coins as ghostly doubled or misplaced elements. The 1983 Denver cent, struck exclusively on the copper-plated zinc planchet weighing approximately 2.5 grams, saw massive production runs that cycled through large numbers of dies, and the late-die-state condition suggests the trail die effect may have become more apparent as the die surface wore down. Attribution by Trail Dies.

Die Markers

• Stage “C”, obverse is LDS – none noted
• Reverse is LDS – a light die crack is seen from the left base corner to the rim. A small die crack is seen on the bottom arm of the E in AMERICA.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeremy Gardner
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References