2004D-1DER-003WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

Discovered by Mark Holmoe of Arizona and documented in the Trail Dies catalog, the 2004D-1DER-003WS is a trail die reverse variety found on a 2004 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent. Die marker documentation at Stage B identifies both dies at mid-die-state: the obverse displays a small die gouge in front of Lincoln's nose — a distinctive facial-area marker that aids rapid authentication without needing to examine the more subtle reverse trail die features — while the reverse shows a small die gouge under the left side of the C in CENT along with the beginning formation of a die chip in bay 1 of the Memorial's colonnade. The incipient die chip in bay 1 is particularly noteworthy as a progressive deterioration marker; specimens struck earlier in the die's life would show this feature less developed or absent entirely, while later strikes would display an increasingly prominent chip, allowing collectors to sequence individual coins within this die's production run. Trail die varieties occur when a die receives an unintended secondary contact during manufacturing or press setup, producing a faint ghost impression of the design offset from the primary strike. The Lincoln Memorial Cent was designed by Frank Gasparro for the reverse and Victor David Brenner for the obverse, struck at the Denver Mint in copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. Holmoe's discovery and documentation of this variety from Arizona contributes to the geographic record of variety discoveries, illustrating how collectors nationwide participate in expanding the Trail Dies catalog through careful examination of circulation finds and mint set coins.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – small die gouge in front of Lincoln’s nose.
• Reverse is MDS – small die gouge under the left side of the C in CENT. There is the beginning of a formation of a die chip in bay 1.
• NOTE
• : This die was found by
• Mark Holmoe
• of Arizona.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mark Holmoe
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References