2010P-1DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Cataloged by the Trail Dies reference as 2010P-1DEO-001T, this trail die obverse variety was discovered by Jean Lee on a 2010 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield cent. The 2010 Lincoln Shield cent marks the first year of Lyndall Bass's Union Shield reverse design, introduced after the 2009 Bicentennial program, making this variety part of the inaugural year of the current Lincoln cent design. The coin was produced in the copper-plated zinc composition, weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter. This trail die is documented at Stage B, representing mid-die-state characteristics. The obverse at mid-die state shows a small die crack in Lincoln's brow, a common location for progressive die deterioration on Lincoln cent obverse dies where the high-relief portrait area concentrates striking pressure. The reverse, also at mid-die state, displays a small die crack extending from the top point of the shield design, providing a secondary diagnostic for establishing die state. Trail die obverse varieties are created when a working obverse die accidentally contacts another die or tooling component, receiving a transferred impression that then appears as a faint ghost image on every coin struck. The DEO designation in the catalog number identifies this as a die error on the obverse, distinguishing it from DER (reverse) trail dies. As the first cataloged trail die obverse for the 2010 Philadelphia Shield cent (indicated by the 001 suffix), this variety represents the beginning of a new chapter in trail die discovery as the Shield design replaced the Memorial reverse that had been the standard since 1959. The Shield design, with its horizontal lines representing the stripes of the Union Shield and the bold UNITED STATES OF AMERICA scroll, provides a distinctly different design landscape for trail die impressions compared to the architectural details of the Memorial reverse.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – a small die crack is seen in Lincoln’s brow.
• Reverse is MDS – a small die crack is seen from the top point of the shield.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jean Lee
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References