1998D-1DEO-002T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Discovered by Bill Slaughter of Arkansas and cataloged by Trail Dies, this 1998 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent features a trail die obverse where lateral die movement during the striking process created visible trail lines emanating from obverse design elements. Die markers place this at Stage A, an early die state, indicating the trail effect was present from the beginning of the die's production life rather than developing through progressive deterioration. Trail dies result from lateral displacement of the die at the moment of striking, and their appearance at EDS suggests the mechanical condition that caused the lateral movement existed from the die's initial installation in the press. The early die state designation is significant because it means specimens of this variety may exhibit sharper, more clearly defined trail lines before die wear softened the overall impression quality. Lincoln Memorial Cents from Denver in the late 1990s were produced in enormous quantities, and the documentation of trail die varieties from this era provides insight into the mechanical conditions of modern high-speed coining operations at the Denver Mint.

Die Markers

• Stage “A”, obverse is EDS – none noted.
• Reverse is EDS – two small die dots, one to the left and the other to the right of the T in Cent.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill Slaughter
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References