2002D-1DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Discovered by Louis Schaeffer, the 2002D-1DEO-001T trail die obverse is the first cataloged trail die obverse for the 2002 Denver Lincoln Memorial Cent. Die markers at Stage B place both sides at mid-die state: the obverse carries a small die gouge visible between the date and the mintmark, while the reverse shows no notable markers at this stage. The gouge between date and mintmark occupies a compact zone that is straightforward to locate under magnification, making it an efficient attribution point. As the lead trail die obverse for this date and mint, the 001T designation indicates it was the first such variety documented, with subsequent discoveries receiving higher sequence numbers. Trail die obverse varieties on Lincoln Cents affect the portrait, inscriptions, and date — design elements that were common across all working dies of a given year but received their specific trail characteristics from individual hubbing events. Schaeffer's identification of this variety extended the trail die catalog into the early 2000s Denver cent production, demonstrating that the hubbing conditions producing trail die effects persisted throughout the Memorial Cent's final decade.

Die Markers

• Stage “B “, obverse is MDS – a small die gouge is seen between the date and the mint mark.
• Reverse is MDS – none noted

Attribution History

• Discovered by Louis Schaeffer
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References