2011P-1DEO-020T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Identified by Monika Stacy, this trail die obverse variety on the 2011 Philadelphia-mint Lincoln Shield cent represents the twentieth documented trail die obverse for the 1-cent denomination in the Trail Dies cataloging system. Trail die impressions occur when a previously struck coin fails to fully eject from between the dies, and the next incoming planchet partially overlaps it during the subsequent striking cycle. The resulting coins display a faint secondary impression — the "trail" — offset from the primary design, typically showing ghostly outlines of design elements from the trapped coin beneath. Die markers for this variety record both obverse and reverse in mid-die state (MDS) with no additional scratches, gouges, or cracks noted on either side. The absence of supplementary die markers focuses attribution entirely on identifying the trail die impression itself against the Shield cent's obverse design — Lincoln's portrait, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the date. The Lincoln Shield cent design, introduced in 2010, was still relatively new in 2011, and the early years of any new design series often generate heightened collector scrutiny that leads to greater variety documentation. Philadelphia's cent production in 2011 ran into the billions, creating statistical conditions where die ejection failures — and their resulting trail die impressions — occurred regularly enough to build a substantial catalog of documented varieties.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – none noted
• Reverse is MDS – none noted.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Monika Stacy
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References