1994P-1DER-005WS Trail Die Reverse

Description

One of the most remarkable trail dies in the 1994-P Lincoln Memorial cent census, 1994P-1DER-005WS documents a die that progressed from Stage B mid die state all the way to Stage C terminal condition. The reverse shows moderate to strong fluting line extension into the stylobate under columns 1, 2, 3, 11, and 12, with strong step deviation under columns 5 through 8. Corner extension reaches into the left stylobate, and extension from the left urn adds further displacement. At Stage B (MDS), the obverse carries a die gouge under IN, and the reverse shows a die gouge in the bottom of bay 1 along with a small die gouge to the right of the designer's initials. The die then deteriorated to Stage C, where a large retained die break — classified as II-E-6 — developed in the middle of the stairs, reaching terminal state. The Stage C obverse shows a die gouge under IN, and the reverse reached terminal failure. Notably, despite the progression from MDS to terminal, the trail lines from the bottom of the EPU letters and periods remained moderately strong throughout, demonstrating that the trail die characteristics persisted even as the die itself was failing catastrophically.

External References