1985 Typical Die Clash TDC-1C-1985-01

Description

Cataloged by MadDieClashes as TDC-1c-1985-01, this typical die clash on the 1985 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent occurred when the obverse and reverse dies struck each other without a planchet between them, transferring incuse impressions of each die's design onto the opposing face. The clash event shows a 5-degree tilt between the dies, an amount classified as typical for cents of this era — slight tilts during clashes were common given the speed and mechanical tolerances of high-volume coining presses. What distinguishes this specimen is the strength of the clash marks: both obverse and reverse display strong, unabraded impressions, indicating the die was not polished after the clash event before resuming production. Unabraded clash marks generally command a higher premium than abraded examples, where mint workers ground down the transferred design elements before continuing to strike coins. The overlay documentation shows the relative die positions during the clash. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets at 2.5 grams and 19mm from the 1985 mintage of approximately 5.65 billion cents.

External References