1996P-10DER-001T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Documented in the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by Michael J. Taylor of New Jersey, the 1996P-10DER-001T is a trail die reverse variety found on a 1996 Philadelphia Mint Roosevelt Dime. The die marker documentation identifies Stage C as late die state with the obverse in LDS showing a die gouge above the first 9 in the date, while the reverse is in LDS with heavy die gouges extending from the I through the T of UNITED and heavy die gouges through the ME of DIME. The intensity of the reverse die gouges — described as "heavy" rather than the typical "small" or "light" characterizations — indicates significant die surface damage that accumulated through extended use, and their concentration in the UNITED and DIME inscriptions provides strong attribution markers for identifying this specific reverse die. Trail die varieties on Roosevelt Dimes are relatively uncommon in published references compared to cents and nickels, making the 10DER designation (10-cent denomination, reverse trail die) a less frequently encountered catalog prefix in the Trail Dies system. John R. Sinnock designed the Roosevelt Dime, introduced in 1946, with its obverse portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and its reverse featuring a torch flanked by olive and oak branches symbolizing liberty, peace, and strength. By 1996, the dime was struck in clad composition (91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel outer layers bonded to a pure copper core) weighing 2.27 grams with a 17.9 mm diameter. Michael J. Taylor's discovery and documentation of this variety contributes to the Trail Dies catalog's coverage across all circulating denominations, extending the systematic classification beyond the more frequently studied cent and nickel series.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Michael J
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References