2007P-1DEO-011T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Documented as the eleventh trail die obverse for the 2007-P Lincoln Memorial Cent, this variety is recorded at the late die state, representing a working die approaching the end of its useful production life. At late die state, the obverse shows a die crack in Lincoln's forehead, a classic indicator of die fatigue from the repeated stress of striking thousands of coins. On the reverse, two small die gouges appear to the right of the last zero in the date area, providing secondary diagnostics. The 2007-P was the penultimate year of regular Memorial cent production at Philadelphia, as the series would conclude with the 2008 issue before transitioning to the Bicentennial reverses of 2009 and the Shield reverse in 2010. Frank Gasparro's Memorial reverse had served as one of the longest-running designs in American coinage history, and trail die research during these final years documented the last generation of working dies to carry the iconic image. Late die state specimens are valued as endpoints showing the maximum accumulation of deterioration markers before retirement.

Die Markers

• Obverse is LDS – a die crack is seen in Lincoln’s forehead.
• Reverse is LDS – two small die gouges are seen to the right of the last 0 in the date.

External References