1984P-1DEO-005T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Attributed to Aisha Shahid and designated 1984P-1DEO-005T in the Trail Dies catalog, this Stage B trail die variety on the 1984 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent demonstrates how die handling artifacts can appear at any point in a die's service life. At mid-die-state, the dies retain strong design definition while showing moderate signs of production wear. The obverse carries a small die gouge above the R of TRUST — a mark positioned within the motto area that could easily be mistaken for a die crack or contact mark without awareness of the trail die attribution. On the reverse, a long die scratch passes through the CE of CENT, cutting across two letters of the denomination in a continuous line that serves as an unmistakable secondary diagnostic. Long die scratches of this character typically result from mechanical contact during die handling rather than from the striking process itself, aligning with the trail die mechanism of die-to-die surface interaction. The specificity of these markers — above R on the obverse, through CE on the reverse — creates a diagnostic pair that allows rapid identification once a collector knows what to look for. Produced at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets weighing 2.5 grams.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – A small die gouge above the R of TRUST.
• Reverse is MDS – A long die scratch through the CE of CENT.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Aisha Shahid
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References