1999 Atypical Die Clash ADC-1C-1999-01

Description

Preserving an unabraded reverse die clash, ADC-1c-1999-01 on a 1999 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent shows clash marks that the Mint never polished off the die before returning it to service. Four distinct clash impressions are evident from marks left in bays four, eight, and nine of the Memorial facade, where the obverse die's design transferred onto the reverse die during an unprotected contact event. Normal die clashes occur when dies strike each other without a planchet between them, but atypical clashes involve unusual geometry — the dies may have met at an angle or one may have shifted laterally, producing marks inconsistent with a standard head-on meeting. The evidence suggests the obverse die was replaced after the clash, possibly due to damage from the direct die-to-die contact. This coin was contributed by Bob Piazza and is documented in the MadDieClashes catalog. The unabraded state of the clash marks makes the variety particularly valuable for die study, as most Mint clashes are polished away before the die returns to production.

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