1993P-1DER-033WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

Identified at Stage B in mid-die state, 1993P-1DER-033WS on the 1993 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent carries a directional die crack as its primary obverse diagnostic: a crack in Lincoln's hair that angles toward the word WE. Die cracks in hair details are among the most useful attribution tools for Lincoln cent varieties because the fine, closely spaced lines of the engraved hair provide a dense network of stress points where cracks tend to initiate and propagate along predictable paths. A crack angling from the hair toward WE follows the natural grain of the die steel's stress field — the area between Lincoln's portrait and the surrounding legend experiences concentrated force during each strike, and cracks that form here tend to propagate outward toward the nearest lettering. On the reverse, this variety's die markers include a die chip on the left edge of the cornice — the horizontal band atop the Memorial columns — and a die gouge in the letter O of ONE. The cornice is a recurring failure point on Lincoln Memorial cent reverse dies because it is a long, thin, raised element on the coin (and therefore a corresponding thin, recessed channel in the die) that concentrates stress along its entire length. The O of ONE, being a closed letter form, creates a small island of die steel within its interior that is particularly vulnerable to chipping. Together, these three markers — the directional hair crack, the cornice chip, and the O gouge — provide a reliable diagnostic constellation for authenticating this variety.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – die crack in Lincoln’s hair angling towards the word WE.
• Reverse is MDS – die chip on the left edge of the cornice. Die gouge in the O of ONE.

External References