1987 Floating Die Clash FDC-1C-1987-01

Description

One of the most dramatic error types documented for the Lincoln Memorial cent series, FDC-1C-1987-01 on the 1987 Philadelphia cent records a floating die clash — a complex error event that began with a large cud in the southeast quadrant of the die. A die fragment broke away from the main die body, flipped over, and was struck by the obverse die, creating an incuse impression of "987" visible behind Lincoln's head where the reversed fragment transferred date elements from its original position. The front corner of Lincoln's coat is overlapped by the word "IN," further documenting the spatial relationship between the main die impression and the inverted fragment's contribution. A strong impression of the die fragment's rim gutter demarcates the affected area, providing a clear boundary between the normal strike zone and the territory influenced by the displaced fragment. This variety carries cross-references to two established catalogs: it is listed in The Cud Book as LC-ND-32 (mem) and in the Cuds on Coins catalog as CU-1c-1987-01. The pre-clash and pre-cud stage of this die is separately documented on Cuds on Coins as RCD-1c-1987-01, preserving the die's condition before the fragment separation event that led to the floating die clash. Struck at Philadelphia (no mint mark) on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm, from the 1987 mintage of 4,682,466,931 cents.

External References