2011P-5DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Discovered by Tanaka Davis, the 2011P-5DEO-001T is a trail die obverse variety on the Philadelphia Mint Jefferson Nickel. Trail die obverse varieties preserve remnants of a prior hub impression on the working die, creating faint secondary design traces on the obverse of struck coins. At Stage B, the obverse is at mid-die-state with a small die dot visible below Jefferson's right eye, positioned in the facial area where it serves as an accessible diagnostic marker. The reverse is also at MDS, carrying small die dots in and around the word FIVE. The correspondence of die dot features on both sides, a single dot below the eye on the obverse and scattered dots around FIVE on the reverse, suggests a die condition where minor surface imperfections developed simultaneously on both the obverse and reverse working dies. These dot patterns, while subtle, provide paired diagnostics for confirming this trail die attribution on the Return to Monticello design.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – a small die dot is seen below Jefferson’s right eye.
• Reverse is MDS – small die dots are seen in and around the word FIVE.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Tanaka Davis
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References