1999P-1DER-054WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

Patrick Gaughan found this 1999 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent trail die reverse, oriented at 200 degrees and classified as wide spread (WS) for the breadth of its ghost impressions. The trail die effect manifests as a moderate, short fluting line extension into the stylobate — the stepped base of the Memorial — beneath columns two and three, with very light step deviation under columns five and six. Trail dies form when a previously struck coin fails to fully eject and transfers a faint ghost impression onto the next planchet. In Stage B at mid die state, a die crack runs from Lincoln's brow into the rim between WE and TRUST on the obverse, providing a prominent attribution marker. No significant reverse markers have been noted beyond the trail die features themselves. The fluting lines in the stylobate translate the trail impression into subtle vertical striations within the building's base, where flat surfaces make ghost impressions easier to detect than on organically detailed elements. As the fifty-fourth cataloged trail die reverse for 1999 Philadelphia cents, this variety documents a production anomaly near the close of the twentieth century.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Patrick Gaughan
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References