2013P-5DER-001T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Documented in the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by Karen Johnson, the 2013P-5DER-001T is the first cataloged trail die reverse variety for the 2013 Philadelphia Mint Jefferson Nickel. Trail die reverse varieties exhibit a faint secondary impression of the reverse design offset from the primary, created when the die receives an unintended secondary contact during manufacturing or setup — producing subtle ghost-like duplicate elements of the Monticello building and surrounding inscriptions that distinguish the variety from normal production strikes. The die marker documentation identifies Stage "B" at mid-die-state (MDS) with diagnostics on both sides: the obverse shows a small group of die gouges below the word WE, while the reverse displays a die gouge to the bottom right of the first O in MONTICELLO. These mid-die-state markers indicate the documented specimens were struck during the middle portion of this die pair's service life, with moderate but not extreme die wear present. The Jefferson Nickel was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 2013 in standard copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) weighing 5.00 grams with a diameter of 21.21 mm. The Return to Monticello reverse design, reintroduced in 2006, depicts Thomas Jefferson's iconic Virginia plantation home with its distinctive dome, portico, and symmetrical wings. The 5DER catalog designation identifies this as a five-cent denomination reverse trail die variety, and the 001T suffix confirms it as the first documented example for this date-mint combination. Karen Johnson's discovery represents the initial documentation of trail die reverse activity on 2013 Philadelphia Mint nickel dies.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – a small group of die gouges is seen below the word WE
• Reverse is MDS – a die gouge is seen to the bottom right of the first O in MONTICELLO.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Karen Johnson
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References