1996D-1DEO-004T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Discovered by Richard Cooper, known in the variety community as Coop, the 1996D-1DEO-004T trail die obverse on the Denver Lincoln Memorial Cent documents trail lines on the obverse created by lateral die movement during the hubbing process. Die markers at Stage B identify mid-die state on both sides: the obverse carries a die gouge visible within the D mintmark itself, and the reverse uses lathe marks as its primary diagnostic markers — an unusual attribution approach that relies on the concentric machining marks from the die's initial turning process rather than accumulated die damage. Lathe marks as reverse markers indicate the die had not yet developed the gouges, cracks, or chips that typically serve as attribution features, consistent with the relatively early-to-mid die state indicated by Stage B. Trail die obverse varieties are cataloged separately from trail die reverses because they affect different design elements and represent independent hubbing events. The 1996-D Lincoln Memorial Cent was struck during the series' later years at Denver, and Cooper's find contributed to the systematic documentation of trail die phenomena across the Memorial Cent date range.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – a die gouge is seen in the mintmark (D).
• Reverse is MDS – Use lathe marks as markers

Attribution History

• Discovered by Richard Cooper (Coop)
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References