1999P-1DER-055T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Fifty-fifth in the trail die catalog for the 1999 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent, this variety documents surface irregularities on the reverse die that transferred subtle raised traces onto the struck coin. Trail dies originate from conditions in the die surface during production rather than hub misalignment, creating ghost-like displaced design elements distinct from doubled dies. The high sequence number reflects the intensive examination that late-1990s Memorial Cents have received from trail die specialists, who track these varieties through a systematic catalog covering all dates and mints. At Stage B die state, the obverse is mid die state with no notable markers, while the reverse is mid die state with die gouges in the middle of the O in ONE and a die gouge under the right base tip. These reverse die markers serve as diagnostic confirmation for positive identification. The 1999-P Lincoln Memorial Cent was struck at Philadelphia during one of the final decades of Frank Gasparro's iconic reverse design, which would end production in 2008 after nearly fifty years of continuous use.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – none noted.
• Reverse is MDS – die gouges in the middle of the O in ONE.  Die gouge under the right base tip.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill Slaughter
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References