2013P-1DEO-005T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Documented in the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by Joe Koelling, the 2013P-1DEO-005T is a trail die obverse variety found on the 2013 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield Cent. Trail dies occur when a die receives an unintended secondary design impression during the manufacturing, installation, or testing process — distinct from doubled dies, which originate specifically from hub misalignment during the hubbing procedure. The secondary "trail" image appears as a faint ghost of the design offset from the primary impression, and trail die obverse varieties show this effect on the portrait side of the coin. Die marker documentation identifies Stage B at mid-die-state, with no obverse markers noted for the obverse despite the trail die characteristics, while the reverse at mid-die-state displays a die chip on the top left edge of the shield and another die chip on the lower left edge of the shield — two localized deterioration markers on opposite ends of the shield device that help identify this specific reverse die. The Lincoln Shield Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.50 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse Lincoln portrait, and Lyndall Bass designed the Shield reverse featuring a Union shield with thirteen vertical stripes. Koelling's discovery of this trail die obverse contributes to the growing body of documented trail die varieties on Shield Cents, which are cataloged systematically across dates, mints, and die faces. The dual shield-edge die chips on the reverse provide reliable secondary attribution markers when examining potential specimens, supplementing the primary trail die obverse identification with confirmatory evidence from the opposing die face.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – none noted.
• Reverse is MDS – a die chip is seen on the top, left edge of the shield. Another die chip is seen on the lower, left edge of the shield.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joe Koelling
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References