1987P-1DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Found and photographed by Bob Piazza of Florida, 1987P-1DEO-001T leads the Philadelphia trail die obverse census for the 1987 Lincoln Memorial cent with moderate trails emanating from the letters BERTY at a 330-degree offset. The 330-degree bearing directs the trail toward the upper left of the die face, placing the ghost images in the eleven-o'clock position relative to the affected lettering. Moderate trails from BERTY — the closing letters of LIBERTY — indicate the hub shift during the secondary impression was concentrated in the left-center portion of the die, where the LIBERTY legend wraps around the upper obverse field. Bob Piazza's dual role as both discoverer and photographer ensures that the reference imagery for this variety comes directly from the original find specimen, an ideal provenance chain for attribution purposes. Stage B at mid-die state is confirmed by diagnostic die markers: die scratches under Lincoln's chin on the obverse provide a portrait-area landmark, while a die gouge in the center of the U in UNITED anchors the reverse identification. The chin scratches occupy a location that is both anatomically distinctive and relatively protected from circulation wear, making them a reliable mid-die state diagnostic. Struck at Philadelphia (no mint mark) on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm, from the 1987 mintage of 4,682,466,931 cents.

External References