1911 Typical Die Clash TDC-1C-1911-01

Description

Discovered by Mike Antenucci, the TDC-1c-1911-01 documents one of the earliest typical die clashes cataloged on the Lincoln Wheat Cent series — just two years into Victor David Brenner's design that debuted in 1909. The clash is visible primarily on the obverse, where the letter N from CENT on the reverse appears as a ghostly raised impression at Lincoln's throat, transferred when the two dies struck each other without a planchet between them. Small remnants of the back of Lincoln's collar also appear on the reverse near the letters CE of CENT, documenting the reciprocal transfer from obverse to reverse die. Typical die clashes follow predictable geometric patterns determined by the relative positions of design elements on opposing dies, and the N-at-throat transfer on early Wheat Cents establishes the positional relationship between Lincoln's portrait and the reverse denomination. Cataloged by MadDieClashes, this 1911 clash example comes from the Philadelphia Mint during the early years of Lincoln Cent production, when the series was still new and die making processes were being refined for the new design. Die clashes on early Wheat Cents are less frequently documented than on later dates, making this 1911 example particularly valuable for understanding clash patterns across the full span of the Lincoln Cent series' fifty-year Wheat reverse production.

External References