1989 (P) Lincoln Memorial Cent - P-1DER-004WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

1989P-1DER-004WS has light wavy steps, but clearly formed ones, beneath columns 5 through 8, where trail lines run across the stairs and make them look bent. Their direction is 190°, slightly west of south. The number's pieces are the date and mint (1989P), the one-cent digit, the reverse design extension tag (DER), the file (004) and the wavy-step tag (WS). Only the reverse has markers at this middle stage: heavy scratching in the bays on the right side of the Memorial and more through the motto. Polishing of the die by a rotary buff is the explanation most often heard for trails, though some hear the die-against-hub explanation instead.

External References