Tendrils From a Polishing Wheel

A trail die variety shows raised tendrils extending from the corners of letters, numbers, and design elements — thin lines that gradually narrow and fade into the field. They're caused by careless die polishing: when rotary polishing tools contact the die, soft fibers gather in recessed areas and erode narrow gullies into the die face as the tool spins.

Sean Moffat experimentally confirmed this mechanism by reproducing trails on a finished die using fine diamond grit with a rotating polishing tool for just 20-30 seconds.

Trail Die vs. Doubled Die: Key Differences

Trail die: Single raised tendrils extending from element corners, gradually narrowing and fading
Doubled die: A sharp, fully formed second image of entire design elements
Machine doubling: Flat, shelf-like displacement (worthless)

The critical distinction: trail dies produce individual lines from corners, not a complete duplicate of a letter or device. If you see tendrils radiating from the serifs of "LIBERTY" that taper off into the field — that's a trail die.

Why Collectors Are Discovering Trail Dies

Significantly more affordable than doubled dies on comparable coins
Genuine die varieties — consistent across all coins from that die, cataloged with their own attribution numbers
TrailDies.com maintains a comprehensive catalog with photographs and die markers
PCGS and NGC both recognize and attribute trail die varieties

Discussion

Do you collect trail die varieties? What series?
Have you ever found what you thought was a doubled die but turned out to be a trail die?
Which denomination shows the most interesting trail die features in your experience?
What magnification do you use to detect trail tendrils?

Trail Dies

Trail Dies: The Affordable Alternative to Doubled Dies