2007P-1DEO-015T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Fifteenth trail die obverse cataloged for the 2007 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent, 1DEO-015T documents trail die displacement on the obverse — Lincoln's portrait side — rather than the more commonly cataloged reverse trail dies. Die markers reveal Late Die State on both faces: the obverse at LDS carries a die crack in Lincoln's forehead, while the reverse at LDS shows a die crack in the top of column 2. Trail Dies documented this variety within a production year that represented the penultimate chapter for the Memorial Cent design, which would conclude after 2008. The forehead die crack on the obverse follows a classic stress path through one of the highest-relief areas of Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait, where the die steel is thinnest and most susceptible to fatigue fracture. Column 2 on the reverse — the second column from the left in the viewer's perspective — similarly represents a high-stress area where the deeply incised column shaft creates narrow die walls prone to cracking. Late Die State classification on both faces indicates this die pair had accumulated substantial wear before retirement, and the trail die characteristics may have become more prominent as die surface degradation reduced competing design detail. Philadelphia's 2007 cent production contributed to the final push of Memorial Cent dies, and the fifteen trail die obverses documented for this single date and mint reflect the systematic scope of Trail Dies' cataloging project, which has documented subtle hub displacement varieties that other attribution services often overlook in favor of the more dramatic doubled die and cud categories.

Die Markers

• Obverse is LDS – a die crack is seen in Lincoln’s forehead.
• Reverse is LDS – a die crack is seen in the top of column 2.

External References