2001D-1DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Trail dies are among the most unusual varieties encountered in modern coinage. They are produced when a hub is used to impress a working die during a test or adjustment strike, but with insufficient pressure to fully transfer all design elements — leaving portions of the die surface undeveloped or with a ghostly, faded impression. This 2001-D Lincoln Memorial Cent trail die obverse, designated 2001D-1DEO-001T and catalogued by the Trail Dies study, was discovered by Jeremy Gardner. At Stage B, the obverse is mid die state with no die markers noted. The reverse, also at MDS, displays two small die gouges between the U of UNITED and the first Memorial column, a small die gouge inside the U of UNITED, and a small die dot inside the last A of AMERICA. Trail dies from the Lincoln Memorial cent series provide an accessible entry point into this specialized category, as they can sometimes be acquired at modest premiums over standard examples while representing genuinely scarce die variety material. The copper-plated zinc cents of this era were struck in enormous quantities, making these low-mintage die anomalies all the more remarkable.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – none noted.
• Reverse is MDS – two small die gouges in between the U of UNITED and the first column. A small die gouge is seen on the inside of the U in UNITED.  A small die dot is seen inside the last A of AMERICA.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeremy Gardner
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References