2008P-1DEO-009T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Found by Jeremy Gardner, this ninth trail die obverse for the 2008 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent displays trail lines extending from the top left corners of the letters LIBER in LIBERTY. Notably, the lines decrease in intensity toward the center of the die, revealing a gradient pattern that indicates the trailing effect was strongest at the periphery and diminished inward — consistent with directional die wear that concentrates at the die's outer edges. The offset direction is 350 degrees, placing the trailing almost due north with a slight westward bias. At Stage B mid-die-state, no obverse markers beyond the trail lines themselves were noted, while the reverse shows a small die crack on the top of column 2 of the Memorial building. The intensity gradient across the LIBER letters provides an unusually informative diagnostic feature, as most trail die listings note uniform trailing rather than progressive diminishment. The 2008-P cent was the final year of the Lincoln Memorial reverse before the 2009 Bicentennial program introduced four new reverse designs, making this trail die one of the last documented on the iconic Gasparro reverse.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeremy Gardner
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References