1993 Radical MAD Die Clash MDC-1C-1993-02

Description

Found by Joe Koelling and attributed by Billy Crawford, MDC-1c-1993-02 on the 1993 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent displays clash marks left by the tops of the letters ERI from AMERICA on the reverse die. When two dies clash — striking each other without a planchet between them — elements of each die's design are impressed into the opposing die as incuse mirror-image traces. The letters ERI, positioned along the upper arc of the reverse design, transferred onto the obverse die in the area corresponding to their mirror-image location relative to Lincoln's portrait. What elevates this variety to "radical MAD" (misaligned die) classification is the unabraded condition of the clash marks on the obverse die. After a die clash event, Mint personnel typically inspect dies and grind (abrade) the working faces to remove the transferred impressions before resuming production. An unabraded clash means the Mint either did not detect the damage or chose not to dress the die, allowing the clash marks to appear at full depth and clarity on every subsequent coin struck from that die. Unabraded radical clashes are considerably scarcer than abraded ones, since most clash events are caught during quality control. Billy Crawford both photographed and attributed this die clash, providing the documentation that secured its place in the MadDieClashes catalog.

External References