2011-1DEO-015T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Documented by the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by George Finster, the 2011-1DEO-015T is a trail die obverse variety found on a 2011 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield Cent. Trail lines are visible off of the top of LIBERTY, creating faint secondary impressions of the inscription\'s upper edges that appear shifted from their primary positions. The catalog notes this variety is very similar to 1DEO-011T, with the offset direction measured at 350 degrees — a near-northward displacement shifted slightly westward, placing the trail image almost directly above the primary design elements. The die marker record from Stage "B" identifies the obverse at mid-die state with no markers found, while the reverse at mid-die state shows a small gouge next to the right serif of the U in UNITED — a precise positional marker within the shield reverse\'s inscription band. The similarity to 1DEO-011T raises the possibility that both trail die events originated from comparable mechanical conditions during die preparation or installation, potentially involving similar equipment configurations or procedural patterns at the Philadelphia Mint facility. The Lincoln Shield Cent, introduced in 2010, features Lyndall Bass\'s union shield design on the reverse and Victor David Brenner\'s Lincoln portrait on the obverse. Struck in copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper), the coin weighs 2.50 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. As the 15th cataloged trail die obverse in the Lincoln Shield series, this variety contributes to the growing documentation of trail die events on the relatively new reverse design, with the LIBERTY inscription\'s prominent position above Lincoln\'s head making it a frequent location where trail die displacements become visible.

Attribution History

• Discovered by George Finster
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References