2012P(HI)-25DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Cataloged by the Trail Dies project, the 2012P(HI)-25DEO-001T is a trail die obverse variety found on a 2012 Philadelphia Mint Hawaii Volcanoes National Park quarter from the America the Beautiful series, discovered by Jean Lee. The ATB quarter is composed of copper-nickel clad (91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel bonded to a pure copper core), weighing 5.67 grams with a 24.3 mm diameter. The Hawaii Volcanoes quarter features a dramatic depiction of an erupting Kilauea volcano with a native Hawaiian rainforest in the foreground, one of the more visually striking designs in the ATB series. Trail die varieties are created when a working die makes unintended contact with another die, hub, or production component, transferring faint ghost impressions onto its surface that then appear on every coin struck by that die. This specimen is documented at Stage A in early die state (EDS). No significant obverse die markers are noted beyond the trail die impressions at this early stage. The reverse is also in early die state, with dimples visible below the letters in the word VOLCANOES serving as the primary attribution diagnostic. These dimples, appearing as small impressions in the field beneath the inscription, are characteristic of trail die contact events and help distinguish this variety from normal production coins. Jean Lee's discovery of this trail die variety on an ATB quarter demonstrates that the trail die phenomenon is not limited to cents but occurs across denominations wherever the high-volume die handling associated with modern production takes place. The 2012 Philadelphia Mint produced substantial quantities of ATB quarters to meet both circulation demand and collector interest in the national parks program.

Die Markers

• Stage "A", obverse is EDS – none noted.
• Reverse is EDS – dimples are seen below the letters in the word VOLCANOES.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Tom Steinbaugh
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References