1998D-1DER-001WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

Found by Richard Cooper of Arizona and documented in the Trail Dies catalog, the 1998D-1DER-001WS is a trail die reverse variety on the 1998 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent. Trail die varieties form a distinct class within the error and variety spectrum, characterized by a faint secondary design impression offset from the primary — produced during die setup, installation, or test-strike procedures rather than during the hub-to-die transfer process that creates traditional doubled dies. The distinction is important: while doubled dies originate from misalignment during die manufacturing, trail dies result from operational events after the die has been completed and installed in the coining press. Die marker documentation identifies Stage "B" at mid-die-state (MDS) with two die gouges visible under the collar edge on the obverse, while the reverse at MDS shows a die crack under the crossbar of the A in STATES and a die crack on the right side of the second T in STATES. The dual reverse die cracks through STATES provide strong attribution markers because their specific positions relative to the lettering are unique to this working die. The Lincoln Memorial Cent in 1998 was struck in copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. The Denver Mint designation makes this the first trail die reverse cataloged (001) for the 1998-D date in the WS classification series, establishing it as the primary trail die reverse variety for this date-mint combination. Frank Gasparro designed the Memorial reverse, and Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait has served the obverse since 1909. The collar edge gouges on the obverse indicate die-to-collar interaction wear that would have progressively worsened through continued production, helping collectors identify approximate die state when examining potential specimens.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – two die gouges under collar edge.
• Reverse is MDS – die crack under the cross bar of the A in sates. Die crack on the right side of the second T in STATES.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Richard Cooper of Arizona
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References