1983 Atypical Die Clash ADC-1C-1983-07

Description

Documented by the MadDieClashes catalog as ADC-1c-1983-07, this 1983 Lincoln Memorial Cent exhibits an abraded dual-event die clash — a specialized type of atypical die clash where two separate clash events occurred on the same die pair, each at a slightly different orientation. The stronger of the two clashes is a slightly rotated die clash that transferred the upper portion of the Memorial building onto the lower bust area of the obverse, while the second, weaker clash is slightly misaligned relative to the first, creating overlapping transferred design elements from two distinct impact events. This dual-clash layering produces a more complex pattern than a single clash event, as the transferred images from the two separate impacts partially overlap and interfere with each other. The coin was submitted by Cliff Reuter, whose documentation contributed to the MadDieClashes database of atypical clash varieties. Die clashes occur when the obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a planchet between them, and the resulting transferred impressions are abraded (partially polished away) during subsequent die maintenance — hence "abraded" in the designation. The Lincoln Memorial Cent in 1983 was struck in the then-new copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, following the 1982 transition from solid bronze to zinc-core planchets. Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, with its detailed architectural columned facade, creates particularly recognizable transferred elements when clashed onto the obverse because the building's linear geometry contrasts sharply with the curved portrait features on the opposing die.

External References