1993 Radical MAD Die Clash MDC-1c-1993-01

Description

Discovered by Louis Schaeffer, MDC-1c-1993-01 on the 1993 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent exhibits both horizontal and vertical misalignment that together created one of the most mechanically significant die clashes in the series. The horizontal misalignment measures approximately 45% — meaning the obverse and reverse dies were offset by nearly half the coin's diameter at the moment of contact — one of the largest horizontal displacements yet discovered in a Lincoln cent die clash. The hammer die (the obverse, or upper die in the press) was misaligned toward the southwest when the clash occurred, shifting the resulting clash marks from the reverse die toward the northeast. A single incuse letter trace is visible just behind Lincoln's collar: the D from UNITED, transferred in mirror-image form onto the obverse die during the off-center impact. The hammer die was also tilted down toward the southwest — a vertical misalignment component that compounded the horizontal offset. This tilt left an impression of the edge of the field portion of the reverse die below and to the left of the letter trace. The combination of 45% horizontal displacement with measurable vertical tilt makes this clash a valuable case study in press malfunction mechanics, as both misalignment vectors can be reconstructed from the physical evidence on the die surface.

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