1972S-100DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Found by Brian Vaile and cataloged by Trail Dies as the first obverse trail die on the 1972-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar, designation 1972S-100DEO-001T, this variety represents a trail die occurrence on one of the largest denomination circulating U.S. coins of the modern era. The Eisenhower Dollar's substantial 38.1mm diameter and 24.59-gram weight (in the 40% silver-clad composition used for San Francisco collector issues) means that trail die effects on these large planchets cover a proportionally greater area than on smaller denomination coins, potentially making the ghosted secondary impressions more visually dramatic. Stage B die markers document three die cracks in Eisenhower's head on the obverse, which is in Mid Die State — progressive failure lines traversing the portrait area where the die steel fractured under repeated striking pressure. The reverse is also in Mid Die State with no notable markers. Trail die obverse errors on the Eisenhower Dollar create ghosted secondary impressions of Frank Gasparro's portrait of President Dwight D. Eisenhower — faint echoes of the presidential bust, the inscription LIBERTY, and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST displaced from their primary struck positions by lateral die-planchet motion during the striking process. The 1972-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar was produced specifically for collectors, struck in the 40% silver-clad composition (outer layers of 80% silver / 20% copper bonded to a core of approximately 21% silver / 79% copper) rather than the copper-nickel clad used for circulation strikes. The three cracks in Eisenhower's head suggest this die saw significant service life, accumulating progressive failures that would eventually lead to its retirement. Vaile's discovery adds an important large-denomination entry to the trail die census, demonstrating that these striking errors occur across all coin sizes.

Die Markers

• Stage “B “, obverse is MDS – three die cracks are seen in Eisenhower’s head
• Reverse is MDS – none noted.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brain Vaile
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References