1953S-5DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Discovered by Robert Pelletier, this 1953 San Francisco Mint Jefferson Nickel carries a trail die impression on the obverse — a ghost image created when a previously struck coin failed to fully eject from the coining chamber, leaving a faint transferred design on the next planchet before the dies delivered the primary strike. Trail die obverse impressions capture a reverse image from the lingering coin superimposed beneath the normal obverse design, producing a layered effect visible under careful examination. Documented in Stage B with both obverse and reverse in mid die state, no significant die markers have been noted beyond the trail die impression itself. This obverse trail die is paired with a corresponding reverse trail die from the same die pair, cataloged as 1953S-5DER-001T, together documenting a single ejection failure that left ghost impressions on both sides of the coin. San Francisco Mint production in 1953 used the standard copper-nickel alloy, and the facility's output that year included both business strike and proof Jefferson Nickels.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – none noted
• Reverse is MDS – none noted

Attribution History

• Discovered by Robert Pelletier
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References