2012P-1DEO-001T Trail Die Obverse

Description

Credited to George dePozsgay, this first cataloged trail die obverse for the 2012 Philadelphia Lincoln Shield Cent captures faint residual ghost impressions left when successive hub impressions partially overlapped during die manufacture. Trail die features appear as subtle duplicate design elements offset at an angle from the primary design, preserving evidence of the hubbing sequence used to create the working die. Documented at Stage B in Mid Die State, this variety has been observed after initial die wear from production use, yet the trail features remain detectable. No additional die markers were noted on either side, making the trail effect the primary diagnostic for attribution. The 2012 Shield Cent continued the reverse introduced in 2010, featuring a union shield with horizontal lines representing the states bound in perpetual union. As the first trail die obverse for this date, the variety establishes the baseline entry in the 2012 Philadelphia trail die catalog. Trail die collecting appeals to numismatists fascinated by die-making, where each ghost impression tells a story about how the Mint transformed master hubs into working dies needed for large-scale production.

Die Markers

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

Attribution History

• Discovered by George dePozsgay
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References