2006D-1DER-007T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Discovered by Jean Lee and cataloged as 2006D-1DER-007T by the Trail Dies attribution service, this trail die reverse variety was struck on a 2006-D Lincoln Memorial cent at the Denver Mint. Trail die varieties represent a specialized category of die variety where faint linear traces extend from design elements in a consistent direction, created when the hub shifts slightly during the final stages of the hubbing process. Die markers for Stage B include an obverse in mid die state (MDS) with a small die dot visible under the B of LIBERTY, while the reverse in MDS shows a die crack in the top of column 2 of the Lincoln Memorial. The 2006-D cent was composed of copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper plating), weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter. This coin is part of the Lincoln Memorial Cents 1959-2008 series, making the 2006 issue one of the later dates in this long-running series that concluded with the 2008 production year before the bicentennial designs of 2009. Denver produced billions of cents in 2006, requiring a large number of die pairs throughout the production year. The die crack in the top of the Memorial's second column provides a useful secondary diagnostic beyond the trail die characteristics themselves, helping to confirm the correct die pair. Jean Lee's discovery of this variety exemplifies the dedicated searching required to identify trail die varieties, which are often more subtle than doubled dies and require careful directional analysis of the faint linear marks to confirm their trail die origin rather than die scratches or other surface anomalies.

Die Markers

• Stage “B”, obverse is MDS – a small die dot is seen under the B of LIBERTY.
• Reverse is MDS – a die crack is seen in the top of column 2.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jean Lee
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References