2010D-1DEO-002T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Discovered by Albert Neils and documented by Trail Dies, the 2010D-1DEO-002T Trail Die Obverse is a trail die variety on the 2010-D Lincoln Shield Cent — a type of die error that occurs when an incompletely hubbed die is placed into service, producing faint ghost-like impressions of design elements that trail away from their intended positions. Die stage documentation records this specimen at Stage B, where the obverse is in mid die state with a die crack visible on the top of Lincoln's head, and the reverse is also in mid die state with a die chip on the upper left edge of the shield. Trail dies represent a distinct category of die variety separate from doubled dies: while doubled dies result from misalignment between successive hub impressions on a completed die, trail dies arise from a die that was removed from the hubbing press before the design was fully sunk, leaving shallow, incomplete design elements alongside the primary fully-formed design. The 2010-D was struck at the Denver Mint, the first year of the Lincoln Shield reverse designed by Lyndall Bass, on copper-plated zinc planchets weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. The die crack on Lincoln's head at Stage B provides a useful attribution marker that helps distinguish this specific trail die from other 2010-D obverse varieties, while the reverse die chip on the shield's upper left edge confirms the die pairing for fully attributed specimens.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – a die crack is seen on the top of Lincoln’s head.
• Reverse is MDS – a die chip is seen on the upper left edge of the shield.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Albert Neils
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References