1970-D Atypical Die Clash ADC-1C-1970D-01

Description

Discovered by Robert Umbarger and cataloged by MadDieClashes, this 1970 Denver Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent presents an atypical die clash — a category that differs from standard die clashes in its mechanism or resulting clash pattern. Standard die clashes occur with the dies in their normal operating alignment, but atypical die clashes involve dies that are rotated, tilted, or misaligned during the contact event, producing clash marks in unexpected positions on the coin's surface. ADC-1c-1970D-01 specifically documents a double die clash where the dies contacted each other on two separate occasions. The clash marks are predominantly visible on the obverse, with slight impressions also detectable on the reverse. Critically, the dies were rotated 8 degrees and slightly misaligned when they clashed, meaning the transferred design elements appear offset from where they would fall in a normal-alignment clash event. MadDieClashes provides an overlay diagram demonstrating how the rotated reverse design maps onto the obverse die surface, allowing collectors to trace the origin of each transferred element. The 1970-D Lincoln Memorial Cent was produced during a year of transition in American coinage — small-date and large-date varieties exist for the 1970-D, and the Denver Mint was producing cents on the copper-zinc composition that had replaced the wartime steel and pre-1943 bronze alloys. Atypical die clashes are considerably rarer than standard clashes in the die variety literature, as they require both a planchet feed failure and simultaneous misalignment of the dies within the press.

External References