1988P-1DER-004WST Trail Die Reverse

Description

A rare combination trail die variety, 1988P-1DER-004WST on the 1988 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent carries the WST designation indicating it exhibits both Wavy Steps (WS) and Trail line (T) characteristics — two manifestations the original cataloger observed are "one and the same thing, only in different locations." This insight captures a fundamental truth: when a hub makes imperfect contact with a working die, distortion appears as wavy steps where it affects the Memorial's staircase lines and as discrete trail lines where it displaces isolated lettering — the same event producing different visual signatures depending on which design area is affected. Found by Louis Schaeffer of Maryland, this specimen shows single fluting line extensions into the stylobate under columns 2, 3, 11, and 12, light to moderate step deviation under columns 5 through 9, and trail lines carried down to the lower left corners of CENT, all at a 190-degree offset. The broad distribution — from stylobate to steps to lettering — demonstrates how a single hubbing anomaly propagates across the entire die face. In Stage A (early die state), the reverse carries die scratches from the last A in AMERICA to the designer's initials and a small gouge on the left leg of N in CENT. The obverse shows no significant markers. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets at 2.5 grams and 19mm. There is also a small die gouge on the left leg of the N in CENT.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Louis Schaeffer
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References