2011(JG)-100DER-001T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Bearing the designation 2011(JG)-100DER-001T in the Trail Dies catalog, this trail die reverse variety was discovered on the 2011-P Presidential Dollar honoring James A. Garfield, struck in Position A die orientation. Trail dies represent a specialized category of die variety where a secondary impression from a previously used or improperly annealed die transfers faint design remnants onto a coin struck by a different die pair. The Presidential Dollar series, authorized by the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 and minted from 2007 through 2020, featured rotating obverse portraits of deceased U.S. presidents in chronological order, with edge-incused date, mintmark, and motto inscriptions. The Garfield dollar was the 20th release in the series, part of the 2011 program that also honored Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes. Philadelphia produced Presidential Dollars using the standard manganese-brass clad composition over a pure copper core, striking coins in two die orientations designated Position A and Position B based on the relative alignment of obverse and reverse dies. Trail die varieties on Presidential Dollars are particularly well documented because the series' high-speed production and frequent die changes created conditions favorable for die-to-die contamination. The reverse trail die impression — designated 001T to indicate it is the first cataloged trail die reverse for this issue — manifests as faint ghostly design remnants from a different coin type or date visible in the fields or across design elements. Collectors should examine the reverse under strong oblique lighting at 10-20x magnification, looking for subtle raised or incuse traces of design elements that do not belong to the standard Statue of Liberty reverse.

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