1988P-1DEO-007T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Also found by Cal Goddard, 1988P-1DEO-007T on the 1988 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent is one of the few trail die obverses for this date that carries significant obverse die markers beyond the trail impression itself. In Stage A (early die state), the obverse exhibits die scratching coming off the bowtie and under the chin — features that likely resulted from die handling or press installation rather than the hubbing process that created the trail impression. These obverse scratches help distinguish this die from the several other trail die obverses that show clean obverse fields in their early stages. On the reverse, also in early die state, a die gouge appears just left of the first S in STATES, providing the primary reverse attribution point. Trail die varieties are created entirely during die manufacture: when the hub is pressed into the working die blank to impart the coin's design, any imperfect alignment — whether tilt, lateral shift, or incomplete seating — leaves trailing ghost impressions that become a permanent feature of every coin struck from that die. The bowtie and chin area of Lincoln's portrait is particularly sensitive to scratching during die handling because the bust's lower relief in that region makes the die surface more vulnerable to contact with tools, fixtures, or adjacent dies during storage and transport. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Die Markers

• Stage “A“, obverse is EDS – die scratching is seen coming off Lincoln’s bow tie and under his chin.
• Reverse is EDS – a die gouge is seen just to the left of the first S in STATES.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Cal Goddard
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References