2014P-1DEO-009T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Found by Daniel Messano, this 2014 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield Cent shows trail die characteristics on the obverse. Cataloged by Trail Dies at Stage B (MDS): a curved die crack on the top of Lincoln's head on the obverse; a die crack in the middle of the top left edge of the shield and a die gouge in the field just left of the shield's right corner on the reverse. The curved crack following the head's contour is a distinctive failure pattern shaped by the portrait's curvature, where die steel fractures along the stress gradient. Composed of copper-plated zinc at 2.5 grams and 19.05 mm, the 2014-P was the fifth year of Bass's Shield reverse. The die gouge near the shield's right corner provides an attribution marker independent of the trail die characteristics.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – A curved die crack is seen on the top of Lincoln’s head.
• Reverse is MDS – a die crack is seen in the middle of the top, left edge of the shield. A die gouge is seen in the field just to the left of the right corner of the shield.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Daniel Messano
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References