1996P-1DER-025T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Discovered by Jimmy Ehrhart of Florida and documented in the Trail Dies catalog, the 1996P-1DER-025T is a trail die reverse variety found on a 1996 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent. Trail dies represent a specialized class of die variety where a faint secondary impression of the design appears offset from the primary, caused when a die receives unintended secondary contact during the manufacturing or setup process. Die marker documentation identifies Stage C with the obverse in very late die state (VLDS) showing a die dot over the E in LIBERTY and die scratches under Lincoln’s chin — both indicators of advanced die deterioration. The reverse is in mid-die state (MDS) with die gouges around the U and under the N of UNITED and a die gouge between the M and E of AMERICA, providing multiple attribution points across the reverse inscriptions. The contrasting die states — VLDS on the obverse versus MDS on the reverse — indicate the two dies in this pair were at different points in their service lives, likely because one was replaced earlier than the other as the Mint managed die usage to maintain acceptable strike quality. The Lincoln Memorial Cent was designed by Frank Gasparro for the reverse and Victor David Brenner for the obverse, struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1996 in copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.50 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. By 1996, Philadelphia Mint cent production volumes exceeded billions of pieces annually, generating a large working die population in which trail die events, though individually uncommon, could occur with some statistical regularity. Jimmy Ehrhart’s discovery documentation contributes to the Trail Dies catalog’s systematic record of these varieties across denominations and dates.

Die Markers

• Stage “C”, obverse is VLDS – die dot over the E in LIBERTY. Die scratches under Lincoln’s chin.
• Reverse is MDS – die gouges around the U and under the N of UNITED. Die gouge between the M and E of AMERICA.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jimmy Ehrhart
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References