2010P-1DEO-013T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Cataloged by the Trail Dies project, the 2010P-1DEO-013T is a trail die obverse variety found on a 2010 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield cent, discovered by Mark Britton. The Lincoln Shield cent, introduced in 2010 with Lyndall Bass's Union Shield reverse replacing the Memorial design, is struck in copper-plated zinc weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter. Trail die varieties are created when a working die inadvertently contacts another die or tooling component, transferring faint design element impressions that then appear on all coins struck from that die. This specimen is documented at Stage B in mid die state (MDS). The obverse shows a northeast die scratch extending from Lincoln's chin and strong scratches emanating from the back of the coat, both characteristic of mid-life die surface wear compounded by the trail die contact event. The reverse is in mid die state with a light die crack above PLUR, indicating developing die stress in the area of E PLURIBUS UNUM. The 2010 date is significant as the inaugural year of the Lincoln Shield cent design, which replaced Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse after 50 years of continuous production. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait obverse, in continuous use since 1909, remained unchanged for the new reverse pairing. Philadelphia produced substantial quantities of the new Shield cent in 2010 to meet circulation demand, requiring numerous die pairs and creating opportunities for the incidental contact events that produce trail die varieties. The transition to the new reverse design in 2010 means trail die varieties from this year document the earliest production runs of a design type that continues to the present day.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mark Britton
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References