2006D-1DER-011T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Discovered by George Finster and documented in the Trail Dies catalog, the 2006D-1DER-011T is a trail die reverse variety found on a 2006 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent. Trail die reverses display a faint secondary reverse design impression offset from the primary, generated during die manufacture, setup, or test-strike procedures. Die marker documentation identifies Stage B with the obverse in very late die state (VLDS) showing a small die dot in the field in front of Lincoln’s brow and die damage above and to the right of the V.D.B. designer’s initials — Victor David Brenner’s identification mark on the obverse. The reverse is at mid-die state (MDS) with a die gouge to the left of the O in ONE. The VLDS designation for the obverse indicates this die was far advanced in its deterioration cycle, with the die dot and V.D.B. area damage documenting the accumulated wear and structural breakdown that develops on heavily used dies during high-volume cent production. The contrasting die states — VLDS obverse paired with MDS reverse — suggest the reverse die was newer or less worn than its obverse counterpart, a common occurrence when the Mint replaces individual dies within a press as they fail at different rates. The Lincoln Memorial Cent was designed by Frank Gasparro (reverse) and Victor David Brenner (obverse), struck at the Denver Mint in 2006 in copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.50 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. George Finster’s discovery adds to the Trail Dies catalog’s documentation of these specialized varieties, building a comprehensive record of trail die events across mint facilities and production years.

Die Markers

• Stage “B “, obverse is VLDS – a small die dot is seen in the field in front of Lincoln’s brow. Die damage is seen above and to the right of the V.D.B.
• Reverse is MDS – a die gouge is seen to the left of the O in ONE.

Attribution History

• Discovered by George Finster
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References