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Curious as to whether this could be a possible die clash or post mint damage or something else entirely. Thanks!
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Originally posted by Mercergrl2 View Post
In my opinion, I think I can see a die chip on Lincoln's ear and it may be a die gouge on his chin, if that line is raised up on the coin.
The "lines" on the flat field of the coin, if they are raised - was a mint worker doing maintenance of the working die. They can get overly aggressive polishing these dies.
They do this to remove a clash or other imperfection(s) on the coin, and clean it up a bit when inspecting it. They do maintenance on a regular basis. That keeps the working dies last longer - striking close to 1 million Lincoln cents.
All the other areas may be post mint damage (PMD). IF there is a bluish color on the coin, and this is a zinc cent, the thin copper layer on the coin was damaged and it exposed the zinc that is under the copper layer. It will eventually start to leak out and stain the surface of the coin.
It's early but let me try to explain die clashes as best I can right now.
Die clashes happen when two working dies in the same minting press strike each other when there is no planchet (aka blank) in between the working dies. In current times, this can happen when the dies are set up and tests are run to ensure everything is set up right.
Working dies have the image of the coin sunk into the die. So when the working dies squeeze the blank planchet into a coin, what is sunk into the working die is raised up on the coin.
This may sound a bit silly, but, it works for educational purposes. Get some playdoh. Get a coin or large medallion. Roll that plahdoh out bigger than the coin. Sink the obverse of that coin or medallion into the plahdoh and carefully take it out. When you look at the impression on that plahdoh, it will closely resemble what the inner part of the working die will look like.
If that playdoh was solid, you could take some tracing paper and trace the area that is on the surface of the playdoh. what you'd end up getting is an outline, and no specific details of the coin. That is because most of the design is sunk into the working die.
So, when two dies clash, normally you see an outline of the other side of the coin. So on the Obverse you may see parts of the Memorial building and the outline of some of the wording as well.
In a nutshell - the die clashes normally appear on the flat surface (field) of the coin. IF the clash shows up on a design feature, it is a severe die clash which should be easily recognizable on the flat field of the coin. Those are typically rare and may end up cracking the working die since the pressure is so great. The bust of Lincoln is one of the deepest parts of the working die. It would take a pretty good clash to get a clash there. BUT, on the edges, it can happen.
Examples of some decent clashes can be seen at:
There is an example of a die clash on the 1982 cent Large Date copper cent.
Also, a 1982 Small Date copper cent:
Last edited by MintErrors; 03-25-2025, 08:38 AM.Gary Kozera
Website: https://MintErrors.org -
Gary, thank you for taking your own time to explain these things. I’m learning more everyday!Comment
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