2013P-1DER-003T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Discovered by Joe Koelling, this third trail die reverse for the 2013 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield Cent originally exhibited trail lines from the top of the letters AMER of AMERICA at an offset direction of 60 degrees. The 60-degree bearing indicates the die shifted east-northeast during hubbing, producing characteristic linear extensions from the tops of the affected letters. The T suffix classifies this as a trail-lines-only variety. At Stage C late die state, no notable obverse markers were observed, while the reverse shows a die crack along the upper edge of the shield. The shield-edge die crack at late die state is consistent with progressive structural failure as the die approached end of service life, and the crack's position along the shield's upper boundary follows a natural stress concentration line in the design. Trail dies on Lincoln Shield Cents represent a growing specialty as the series matures and more coins enter collector channels. Joe Koelling's documentation of multiple trail dies across consecutive Shield Cent dates has contributed significantly to building the early catalog for this series that began in 2010.

Die Markers

• Stage “C“, obverse is LDS – none noted.
• Reverse is LDS – a die crack is seen along the upper edge of the shield.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joe Koelling
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References