1993P-1DER-040WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

Presenting die damage across multiple bays of the Lincoln Memorial, 1993P-1DER-040WS on the 1993 Philadelphia cent is a Stage B, mid-die state variety whose reverse die shows deterioration in bays 3, 4, 6, and 7. The bays — the open spaces between the Memorial columns — are numbered left to right, and damage in four separate bays indicates widespread stress rather than an isolated fracture. The pattern in bays 3, 4, 6, and 7, with bay 5 apparently unaffected, raises a question about why the center bay escaped while those flanking it did not — possibly related to the distribution of striking force, where the central area sometimes receives more uniform pressure than surrounding zones. The obverse die shows no notable markers in mid-die state. Multi-bay damage is meaningful for trail die varieties because it evidences the mechanical stresses the die endured during the same production period when trail line effects were generated. If the press alignment was causing lateral die movement sufficient to create trail lines on the steps, that same misalignment may have been directing striking force unevenly across the die face, contributing to the scattered bay damage observed here. Collectors should inspect the staircase beneath the affected bays for the wavy step deviation characteristic of the WS designation.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – none observed.
• Reverse is MDS – die damage in bays 3, 4, 6 and 7.
• Previous Page
• Next Page

External References