2008P-1DEO-014T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Documented in the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by David Miller, the 2008P-1DEO-014T is a trail die obverse variety found on the 2008 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent. Trail lines are visible extending from the bottom left corners of the letters in LIBERTY, with the offset direction measured at 200 degrees — a specific angular measurement that defines the precise direction of the secondary design impression relative to the primary, providing a quantitative diagnostic beyond simple directional descriptions. Die marker documentation identifies Stage A at early die state (EDS) with a small die dot on the inside of the W in WE on the obverse, while the reverse in EDS shows no noted markers. The early die state documentation means specimens from Stage A represent the freshest strikes from this die, where the trail lines should be most clearly defined before accumulated die wear begins to soften them. Trail die varieties occur when a die receives an unintended secondary contact during manufacturing, installation, or test procedures, leaving a faint offset impression of the design alongside the primary image. The Lincoln Memorial Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 2008 — the final year of Frank Gasparro’s Memorial reverse before the 2009 Bicentennial designs — in copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner’s obverse portrait appears on this last-year Memorial Cent. The 200-degree offset direction places the trail lines roughly south-southwest of the primary lettering, and the concentration of trail effects on the LIBERTY inscription makes this a variety best examined by focusing on the lower left corners of each letter in that word under magnification.

Die Markers

• Stage “A”, obverse is EDS – a small die dot is seen on the inside of the W in WE.
• Reverse is EDS – none noted.

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Miller
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References