1972 Typical Die Clash TDC-1C-1972-01

Description

Documented by the MadDieClashes attribution team, TDC-1c-1972-01 is a simple, rotated (5°) unabraded die clash on a 1972 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent. This coin was submitted to the site courtesy of David Stiff. A die clash occurs when the obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a planchet between them, transferring design element impressions from each die onto the opposing die's working surface — impressions that then appear as incuse or raised "ghost" marks on subsequently struck coins. The 5° rotation indicates the dies were slightly misaligned during the clash event, offsetting the transferred design elements from their normal positions. The clash marks left by the reverse die on the obverse die are clearly documented: the outline of the Lincoln Memorial cornice can be seen below the word LIBERTY, while the Memorial building base line is visible to the left of Lincoln's ear. The roof line of the Memorial building can be traced through the date area, with the cornice seen above the "7" digit. On the reverse, the clash marks left by the obverse die are equally diagnostic: the transferred impressions from Lincoln's portrait and surrounding design elements appear as subtle incuse marks on the Memorial side. Notably, part of the "1" digit from the date is clashed onto the area to the right of the Memorial building roof — described as "a bit unusual" in the original documentation, suggesting this particular clash mark geometry is not commonly seen on other 1972 die clash specimens. The unabraded condition indicates the Mint did not attempt to polish or remove the clash marks before returning the dies to service, allowing the full clash evidence to transfer to subsequently struck coins.

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