2008P(HI)-25DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Discovered by William Taschwer of Ohio, this trail die obverse on a 2008 Philadelphia Mint Hawaii State Quarter produces ghost-like secondary impressions near the primary design features. Two documented stages track the die's progression. Stage B shows the obverse at MDS with a small die gouge between A and R of DOLLAR, while the reverse at MDS carries a small die crack between the two zeros of the date. Stage C, found by Steven Bernatowicz, advances the obverse to MDS with die clash marks visible on Washington's neck area. The Stage C reverse is notable: heavy die scratching was deliberately applied to obliterate the clash marks left by the obverse die, evidence that Mint personnel attempted to salvage the die by grinding away transferred design elements rather than retiring it. Trail die varieties occupy a specialized niche in die error collecting. Hawaii was the final coin in the 50 State Quarters program, completing the decade-long series that ran from 1999 through 2008 and generated unprecedented public interest in coin collecting.

Die Markers

• Stage "B", obverse is MDS – A small die gouge between A and R of DOLLAR.
• Reverse is MDS – A small die crack between the two zeros of the date.
• Stage "C", obverse is MDS – die clash marks are seen on Washington's neck area.
• Reverse is MDS – heavy die scratching is seen to obliterate the clash marks left by the obverse die.

Attribution History

• Discovered by William Taschwer of Ohio
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References