2013P-1DER-002T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Discovered by Joe Koelling and cataloged by Trail Dies, the 2013P-1DER-002T Trail Die Reverse on the Lincoln Shield Cent represents a variety created when a design element from a different die or hub leaves a faint impression trail on the working die surface. Trail dies occur during the die manufacturing process when residual design traces transfer between tooling components, producing subtle secondary images that appear on finished coins as ghostly outlines alongside the intended design. Die markers at Stage B show the obverse in mid die state with a small die dot above the U in TRUST, while the reverse is also in mid die state with a die crack forming along the upper left edge of the shield — the beginning of a structural failure in the die that would eventually progress to a full crack if the die remained in service. The Lincoln Shield Cent was struck on copper-plated zinc planchets weighing 2.5 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm at the Philadelphia Mint. The Union Shield reverse, designed by Lyndall Bass and introduced in 2010, features a prominently rendered shield with horizontal lines and vertical stripes, topped by a scroll reading ONE CENT and flanked by the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. Trail die varieties differ fundamentally from doubled dies in their formation mechanism — while doubled dies result from misaligned hub impressions on a single die, trail dies arise from cross-contamination between different dies or tooling components during the manufacturing chain. Joe Koelling's discovery of this variety contributes to the growing catalog of trail die varieties documented on modern Lincoln Cents, where improved die inspection techniques have paradoxically made these manufacturing artifacts easier to identify and classify.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – a small die dot is seen above the U in TRUST.
• Reverse is MDS – a die crack is forming along the upper left edge of the shield.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joe Koelling
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References