2015 Atypical Die Clash ADC-5C-2015-01

Description

Documented as the first atypical die clash for the 2015-P Jefferson nickel, ADC-5c-2015-01 records a die clash event with unusual characteristics that distinguish it from the standard clashing patterns observed on this denomination. Discovered by Michael Rusk, this variety was cataloged by the MadDieClashes attribution service, which specializes in die clash documentation and distinguishes between typical (standard orientation) and atypical (rotated or otherwise non-standard) clash events. An atypical die clash occurs when obverse and reverse dies collide without an intervening planchet — similar to a typical clash — but the dies are rotated or offset from their normal alignment at the moment of impact, transferring design elements in positions that differ from the standard 180-degree die alignment. The MadDieClashes listing notes a significant qualification: the cataloger states they would typically want to see the entire eye clashed on the reverse before listing the variety, but accepted it on the basis that it represents a double clash — a die that experienced clashing on two separate occasions. Jamie Franki's Monticello reverse and Joe Fitzgerald and Don Everhart's forward-facing Jefferson portrait provide the design elements that transfer between dies during a clash event, with the eye detail being a particularly diagnostic element because its distinctive shape is easily identifiable when it appears as a ghost impression on the opposing die's design. Philadelphia struck approximately 752.0 million Jefferson nickels in 2015, and the double-clash characteristic of this variety means the die experienced two separate planchet-less strikes, each potentially at a different alignment. Collectors should examine the reverse for transferred obverse portrait elements and the obverse for ghost Monticello features, using angled illumination at 10-15x magnification to distinguish the faint clash impressions from the intended design.

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