2009P-1DER-007T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Documented in the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by Jason Dick, the 2009P-1DER-007T is a trail die reverse variety found on the 2009 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Cent featuring the Professional Life reverse design. Trail die varieties are created when a die receives an unintended secondary contact during manufacturing or press setup, leaving a faint offset impression of the design that appears as a ghost-like duplication on struck coins. The Professional Life reverse, the third of four rotating 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial designs, depicts a young Abraham Lincoln standing before the partially built Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, representing his years as a lawyer and legislator. The die marker documentation identifies Stage "B" at mid-die-state (MDS): the obverse shows no noted markers, while the reverse exhibits a die crack from the bottom left corner of the D in UNITED and another die crack from the top of Lincoln's head — two separate structural die failures documenting progressive deterioration of the reverse die. The die crack from Lincoln's head on the reverse is particularly notable because the standing figure's head is a high-relief element that concentrates striking stress, making it a common initiation point for die fractures. The 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. The Professional Life reverse was designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart. The 2009 commemorative year produced relatively lower cent quantities than typical years as the Mint managed coin inventory levels, making varieties from this date-design combination of particular interest to Lincoln Cent specialists.

Die Markers

• Stage “B “, obverse is MDS – none noted
• Reverse is MDS – a die crack is seen from the bottom left corner of the D in UNITED. A die crack is seen from the top of Lincoln’s head.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jason Dick
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References