1995P-1DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Cataloged by the Trail Dies project, the 1995P-1DEO-001T is a trail die obverse variety found on a 1995 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial cent. The Lincoln Memorial cent, produced from 1959 through 2008, was struck in copper-plated zinc composition weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter. Trail die varieties result from unintended die-to-die or die-to-hub contact during production handling, transferring faint ghost impressions onto the working die surface that then appear consistently on every coin struck from it. The 1995 date is historically significant in Lincoln cent variety collecting because the Philadelphia Mint's famous 1995 doubled die obverse generated enormous public interest and sparked widespread examination of cents from that year. This specimen's die stage documentation indicates the coin is in late die state (LDS) on both sides. The obverse in late die state displays a die crack extending into the field from the left bottom of the E in LIBERTY, along with another die crack running through the G of GOD. These die cracks are characteristic of extended die usage where metal fatigue causes fractures to propagate across the die face. The reverse in late die state shows no specific markers noted. No discovery finder or comments are recorded in the catalog entry for this particular variety. The designation 1DEO-001T indicates this is the first trail die obverse variety cataloged for 1995-P cents, marked with the T suffix denoting trail die classification. The late die state of both obverse and reverse suggests this die pair was used extensively during Philadelphia's massive 1995 cent production run, accumulating the stress fractures and surface wear that help identify specimens struck toward the end of the die's working life.

Die Markers

• Obverse is LDS – a die crack is seen extending into the field from the left bottom of the E in LIBERTY. Another die crack is seen through the G of GOD.
• Reverse is LDS – none noted.

External References