2010D-1DEO-004T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Documented in the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by Albert Neils Sr., the 2010D-1DEO-004T is a trail die obverse variety found on the 2010 Denver Mint Lincoln Shield Cent — the inaugural year of the Shield Cent reverse design. Trail dies form when a secondary design impression appears offset from the primary, typically resulting from an unintended contact during die manufacturing, installation, or initial trial strikes. Die marker documentation identifies Stage "B" at mid-die-state (MDS) with small die gouges between the ER of LIBERTY on the obverse and die gouges to the right and left of the first T in STATES on the reverse. The die gouges flanking the T in STATES are diagnostically useful because their bilateral positioning — gouges on both sides of a single letter — creates a distinctive pattern unlikely to be confused with random die contact marks. The 2010 Lincoln Shield Cent introduced the Union Shield reverse designed by Lyndall Bass, replacing the Lincoln Memorial Cent reverse that had served from 1959 through 2008 (with the four Bicentennial designs serving in 2009). Struck at the Denver Mint in copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, the 2010-D represents the first Denver Mint production of the Shield Cent design. Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait continued unchanged. Albert Neils Sr.'s discovery documents trail die events occurring even in the first year of a new reverse design's production, when die manufacturing processes were being calibrated for the new design's specific relief and detail characteristics.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – small die gouges are seen between the ER of LIBERTY.
• Reverse is MDS – die gouges are seen to the right and left of the first T in STATES.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Albert Neils Sr
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References