1994D-1DER-002WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

The second wavy-step trail die reverse cataloged for the 1994 Denver Lincoln Memorial cent, 1994D-1DER-002WS is documented by Trail Dies at Stage B. Wavy-step trail dies exhibit a characteristic undulation in the Memorial staircase that distinguishes them from normal strikes, where the steps present clean horizontal lines. This particular die pair carries distinctive markers on both sides of the coin. The obverse, at mid-die-state, features a small die chip on the mint mark — a fragment of die steel that detached from the recessed D mintmark cavity, allowing planchet metal to fill the void and produce a raised anomaly on the struck coin. The reverse, also at mid-die-state, shows a small die chip on and under the last A of AMERICA. Die chips at letter locations are especially useful for attribution because the letter geometry provides precise spatial reference points — the chip's position relative to specific strokes and serifs can be described with millimeter-level accuracy, enabling confident identification even when the primary trail die effect is subtle.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – small die chip on the mint mark
• Reverse is MDS – small die chip on and under the last A of AMERICA.

External References