1991P-50DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Documented in the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by Mary Fantauzzo of New York, the 1991P-50DEO-001T is a trail die obverse variety found on the 1991 Philadelphia Mint Kennedy Half Dollar. A faint trail line can be seen extending from the Y of LIBERTY, with the offset direction measured at 010 degrees — nearly due north, indicating the secondary impression is displaced slightly right of directly upward from the primary. The catalog notes that although this trail is very minor, it is hoped an earlier die state coin will be found that may show additional trail lines, and the submitted coin has been cleaned (polished), which may have obliterated some additional trail evidence. Die marker documentation identifies Stage D at very late die state (VLDS) with no observed obverse markers, while the reverse in VLDS shows a die gouge under the last A of AMERICA. The VLDS designation represents the most advanced stage of die wear, meaning this specimen comes from near the absolute end of this die’s production life, and the cleaning noted on the discovery coin may have further reduced the visibility of subtle trail features. The Kennedy Half Dollar was designed by Gilroy Roberts for the obverse portrait and Frank Gasparro for the heraldic eagle reverse, struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1991 in copper-nickel clad composition weighing approximately 11.34 grams with a 30.6 mm diameter. As the first (001T) trail die obverse cataloged for the 1991-P Kennedy Half Dollar, this variety establishes the baseline documentation for trail die events on this date. Mary Fantauzzo’s discovery despite the VLDS condition and coin cleaning demonstrates the persistence required in trail die hunting.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mary Fantauzzo
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References