1885 Typical Die Clash TDC-100C-1885-01

Description

Cataloged by MadDieClashes as TDC-100C-1885-01, this 1885 Morgan Dollar preserves evidence of a typical die clash — an event that occurs when the obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a planchet between them. In normal operation, a silver planchet separates the dies during every press cycle, but mechanical failures or feeding errors occasionally allow the dies to make direct contact. When this happens, each die receives a mirror-image impression of the opposing design, incused into its working surface. Subsequent coins struck from clashed dies show faint ghostly traces of the reverse design on the obverse and vice versa. The catalog code breaks down as TDC (Typical Die Clash), 100C (100 cents, indicating the dollar denomination), 1885 (year), and 01 (first cataloged for the date). George T. Morgan's design — Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap wreathed in cotton and wheat on the obverse, with a heraldic eagle on the reverse — was in its eighth year of production in 1885. The 1885 Philadelphia issue had a mintage of approximately 17.8 million, providing ample opportunity for die-to-die contact incidents during extended production runs.

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