Something new in the variety called trails

oldsubguru · February 22, 2013 11:05PM

I saw this on ebay and it certainly peaked my interest. While we do have trail dies similar to this in the system (traildies.com), it is the date that is very interesting and opens up new questions.

The era that the Jefferson nickel was struck in does have trail dies, mostly on Lincoln cents, but they are all Proof coins. This is the first business strike to show trails in this era and the second oldest trail die in U.S. coins.

This raises the question; was the reverse of this 1961 Jefferson nickel struck with a proof die?

ricko · February 23, 2013 12:21AM

Certainly different, I was not aware there was an interest in this anomaly. Cheers, RickO

tincup · February 23, 2013 12:33AM

Guess my lack of knowledge may be showing... but I did not know there was even a variety regarded as 'trails'. Always figured this was due to eroded dies.... but guess I have the opportunity to learn something new.

LanceNewmanOCC · February 23, 2013 2:17AM

.
there was a pretty major thread about these very recently
.

JRocco · February 23, 2013 2:25AM

I am going to have to start looking closer at some older coins.

Do you know if there are any die markers on this coin BJ that might help link it to a proof die ?

johnny9434 · February 23, 2013 2:37AM

interesting. i didnt think there was any interest either in it.

Papi · February 23, 2013 2:46AM

<< <i>interesting. i didnt think there was any interest either in it. >>

There's a website devoted to these. It has quite a following and growing.

Traildies

oldsubguru · February 23, 2013 3:02AM

To answer some question. Yes, there does seem to be a lack of interest in this die anomaly. The cause of the dis-interest may be the lack of concrete evidence on how these lines are created. It seems that the mint does not know, while it is well known in the variety circle, no one has step forward and said "yes, this is what it is" and at times I find myself not believing in what I am seeing. I have postulated a theory that it basically has to do with the hub dragging across the die face (with trails on the working die) and have dis-proved that these lines are caused by die polishing and / or die deterioration or die abrading.

As for the idea that this may be a Proof doie that struck the reverse, we have no business strike trail dies in the 1950 to 1960 eras; only proof trail dies in the Lincoln cent, Jefferson nickel and Franklin half dollar. Those lines produced by the proof dies have a slightly altered appearance from the trail lines seen on the business strike, but they are still one in the same. This example has more of a business strike trail line than a proof trail line. The only reason that I can give for it may being produced by a proof die is that we have not seen any business strike trail dies in the 1950s and 1960s. As for die markers, since I do not have a proof Jefferson collection, I can not match up die markers to an individual die. This is the section that we have on proof trail dies.

http://traildies.com/u-s--proof-trail-dies.html

Something new in the variety called trails

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