1991P-1DER-004WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

A Stage B Mid Die State (MDS) specimen, 1991P-1DER-004WS of the 1991 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent carries two small gouges positioned under the right edge of Lincoln's bust on the obverse — die markers that place this coin within the die's moderate-use production window. The reverse die at this stage showed no noted diagnostic markers, suggesting the reverse die surface remained relatively clean through its mid-life production phase. Trail die varieties like this one are cataloged to document the sequence of die pairings used during a production run, allowing researchers to reconstruct the order in which dies were installed, used, and replaced at the Philadelphia Mint during 1991 cent production. Even when the trail die effect itself is subtle, the die markers associated with each stage provide a chronological framework: the MDS designation for Stage B indicates this pairing followed the earlier Stage A and preceded later stages, mapping the die's progressive wear. The five trail die reverses cataloged for the 1991-P cent collectively document the die rotation and replacement patterns across the production run. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets composed of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, weighing 2.5 grams and measuring 19mm.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – two small die gouges under the right edge of Lincoln’s bust.
• Reverse is MDS – none noted.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Louis Schaeffer
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References