1988P-1DER-009T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Found by Jean Lee, 1988P-1DER-009T is a Tilted trail die reverse on the 1988 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent captured at Stage A — the earliest documented stage for this die, representing its condition closest to the start of production. At early die state, the obverse exhibits a small die gouge below the word IN, a localized imperfection likely introduced during die finishing or early press operations. The reverse, also at early die state, carries a small die gouge under the D of UNITED, providing a second marker for attribution. Die gouges at early die state are particularly useful for variety researchers because they establish a baseline condition: as the die wears through subsequent stages, these gouges may enlarge, fill, or shift in appearance, helping analysts track the die's progression through its operational life. The Tilted designation means the hub was not perfectly perpendicular to the die face during the impression process, creating faint offset traces of design elements on the reverse. Unlike Wide Spread varieties that produce broadly displaced features, Tilted varieties tend to show more compact directional shifts. The relative simplicity of this die's marker set — a single gouge on each side — suggests it was caught early in its production run or saw limited use before being retired. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Die Markers

• Stage “A”, obverse is EDS – a small die gouge is seen below the word IN.
• Reverse is EDS – a small die gouge is seen under the D of UNITED.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jean Lee
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References