2013P-1DER-004T Trail Die Reverse

Description

Documented in the Trail Dies catalog and discovered by George dePozsgay, the 2013P-1DER-004T is a trail die reverse variety found on the 2013 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield Cent. Trail dies constitute a specialized variety class where a faint secondary design impression appears offset from the primary, originating during die manufacturing or setup rather than during the striking process itself. Die marker documentation identifies Stage B at mid-die-state (MDS): the obverse shows a die gouge (dot) between the 13 in the date and a die crack across the hair under D WE T of IN GOD WE TRUST, while the reverse in MDS exhibits curving die scratches in the field by the lower left shield and a die crack across the upper shield. The die crack path across the hair passing under the D WE T inscription establishes a distinctive routing that serves as a strong fingerprint for this specific obverse die, as crack propagation paths are determined by the unique internal stress distribution within each individual die's steel matrix. The Lincoln Shield Cent, introduced in 2010, features a Union Shield reverse designed by Lyndall Bass with thirteen vertical stripes representing the original colonies. Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln has been in continuous use since 1909. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm, the 2013 cent continued the Shield design in its fourth year of production. George dePozsgay's discovery contributes to the systematic cataloging of trail die events within the Shield Cent series, and the concurrent die crack systems on both obverse and reverse document parallel structural deterioration in both dies of this pairing during mid-service production.

Die Markers

• Stage “B“, obverse is MDS – die gouge (dot) between 13 in date. Die carck across hair under D WE T.
• Reverse is MDS – Curving die scratches in field by lower left shield; die crack across upper shield.

Attribution History

• Discovered by George dePozsgay
• Expert attribution by Trail Dies

External References