2007P-1DEO-016T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Trail Dies documented this obverse variety on the 2007-P Lincoln Memorial Cent with the catalog designation 2007P-1DEO-016T, identifying a trail die (also known as a machine doubling, mechanical doubling, or shelf doubling) affecting the obverse die. Trail dies differ fundamentally from hub doubling varieties in their formation mechanism: while true doubled dies originate during the die-sinking process when the hub and die are misaligned, trail dies are produced during the striking process itself when the die or planchet shifts slightly during or immediately after the strike, creating a flat, shelf-like secondary image that lacks the rounded, three-dimensional quality of genuine hub doubling. Despite this mechanical distinction, significant trail dies are cataloged and collected in their own right because the visual effect can be dramatic and because understanding the striking dynamics that produce trail dies contributes to the broader study of U.S. Mint production processes. Die markers place both obverse and reverse in Late Die State (LDS), indicating this die pair had undergone substantial service before specimens with the trail die characteristics were produced or identified. The obverse — the trail die side — carries no noted die markers beyond the LDS classification itself, while the reverse provides specific diagnostics: diagonal die scratches above the ON of ONE and a die gouge in the C of AMERICA on Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial design. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc at 2.5 grams (the composition adopted in 1982), the 2007-P Lincoln Memorial Cent was among the final issues of the Memorial reverse series, which concluded in 2008 to make way for the 2009 bicentennial reverses and the 2010-onward Shield reverse.

Die Markers

• Obverse is LDS – none noted.
• Reverse is LDS – diagonal die scratches are seen above the ON of ONE. A die gouge is seen in the C of AMERICA.

External References