1986 Atypical Die Clash ADC-1C-1986-02

Description

Found by Ken Ferryman and cataloged by MadDieClashes, this second atypical die clash for the 1986 Lincoln Memorial Cent documents a particularly well-defined clash event where both obverse and reverse dies retained legible transferred design elements despite subsequent abrading by Mint personnel. On the obverse, most of the bays, parts of the Memorial perimeter, and the O from ONE are visible as incuse impressions transferred from the reverse die during the clash event. The reverse correspondingly shows an outline of Lincoln's portrait — the ghost of the obverse design impressed into the reverse die face. An atypical die clash differs from a standard die clash in the completeness and unusual nature of the transferred imagery; where ordinary clashes produce fragmentary impressions, atypical clashes can transfer remarkably detailed design elements that are recognizable without magnification. The notation that the clash marks were "abraded but still readily visible" indicates that Mint quality control detected the clashed dies and attempted to remove the transferred impressions by polishing the die faces — a standard remediation procedure. However, the abrading was insufficient to completely eliminate the clash evidence, and the dies were returned to service still bearing faint but identifiable transferred design elements. The 1986 Lincoln Memorial Cent was struck at Philadelphia during a period of relatively stable cent production, and this atypical die clash documents a moment where the quality control process fell short of fully correcting a production anomaly. MadDieClashes specializes in cataloging die clash varieties with particular attention to these atypical examples that preserve unusually complete design transfers.

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