2001D-1DER-005T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Discovered by Jeremy Gardner and documented by Trail Dies, the 2001D-1DER-005T records a trail die reverse variety on the 2001-D Lincoln Memorial Cent, part of the Lincoln Memorial Cents 1959-2008 series. Trail die varieties occur when a secondary impression from a misaligned or offset die creates ghost-like design elements that "trail" across the coin's surface — mechanistically distinct from doubled dies, which result from hub-to-die misalignment during die manufacture, trail dies instead involve die-to-planchet irregularities during the actual striking process. The documented die stage is Stage B, at Mid Die State, with obverse die markers consisting of vertical die scratches visible around the S of TRUST. The reverse at the same MDS stage shows no noted die markers, meaning the reverse die surface was relatively clean of diagnostic features at this production point. The 2001-D cent was struck at the Denver Mint in copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper plating), weighing 2.5 grams with a diameter of 19 mm — the composition adopted in 1982 that reduced the cent's intrinsic metal value. Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, featuring the detailed architectural rendering of the Memorial building with its twelve columns and the tiny seated Lincoln statue visible within the central bay, provides a complex design field where trail die impressions can create subtle but identifiable secondary outlines. The existence of at least five documented trail die reverse varieties (reaching -005T) for the 2001-D date indicates that the Denver Mint's high-speed production equipment for this year generated multiple instances of the striking anomaly that produces trail die impressions.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – vertical die scratches are seen around the S of TRUST.
• Reverse is MDS – none noted.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeremy Gardner
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References