1987P-1DEO-007T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Discovered by Wayne Perry, 1987P-1DEO-007T on the 1987 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent closes the seven-variety obverse trail die census for this date-mint combination and stands as the second early die state capture alongside 1DEO-006T. Stage A classification with no die markers noted on either the obverse or the reverse makes this the most marker-sparse entry in the entire 1987-P trail die catalog — an unusual condition that shifts the full attribution burden onto the trail die effects themselves and any subtle die characteristics visible under high magnification. The absence of documented die markers does not mean the die surfaces were pristine; rather, it indicates that no surface features distinctive enough to serve as reliable attribution landmarks had been identified at the time of cataloging. Early die state dies are inherently less likely to carry the gouges, scratches, and chips that accumulate through service, so marker-free Stage A entries occur more frequently than marker-free specimens at later die states. For attributors attempting to confirm this variety, comparison against Wayne Perry's original reference imagery becomes essential, since the trail die morphology is the sole documented diagnostic. Seven obverse trail dies from the 1987 Philadelphia production documents a moderate occurrence rate given the year's enormous mintage of 4,682,466,931 cents. Struck at Philadelphia (no mint mark) on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Die Markers

• Stage “A “, obverse is EDS – none noted
• Reverse is EDS – none noted

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wayne Perry
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References