1993D-1DER-030WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

The thirtieth and final entry in the 1993-D trail die census, also discovered by Aisha Shahid, brings this remarkable group to its close. Thirty distinct trail die reverses from a single date and mint mark is extraordinary — most date-and-mint combinations in the Lincoln Memorial series yield fewer than five cataloged trail dies, and many yield none. Denver's massive 1993 cent production, combined with mechanical conditions causing repeated die seating instability, created the conditions for this prolific output. The 030WS obverse carries three small die gouges under LIBERTY, while the reverse shows a small gouge to the left of column 1, the Memorial's outermost column. The WS suffix confirms both fluting and step deviation were present. At Stage B mid-die-state, this die was still in relatively early service — a reminder that trail die phenomena can appear at any point in a die's lifespan, resulting from mechanical seating problems rather than the progressive wear that distinguishes early from late die states. Struck at Denver on copper-plated zinc planchets, 2.5 grams, 19mm, plain edge.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – three small die gouges are seen under the word LIBERTY
• Reverse is MDS – a small die gouge is seen to the left of column 1.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Aisha Shahid
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References