From the PCGS Grading Room Jan/Feb 2022
PCGS_SocialMedia
Posts: 327 ✭✭✭✭✭
One of the most fundamental processes in coin grading and authentication is examination of the surfaces for abrasions, alteration, or other forms of post-production harm. Sometimes, however, we encounter an aberration in a coin’s field that – while seemingly out of place – has a fabric and finish consistent with the rest of the coin, and indeed there are several potential sources of such oddities that are of an entirely benign, and often quite intriguing, nature.
Die clashing is evidence of a permanent impression left on a die from its collision with another (usually mated) die without a coin in between to cushion the blow and absorb the design. In some series, such as the Three Cent Nickels from the middle of the 19th century, this is common, and such pieces command no premium. In other instances, they can be highly collectible. This 1857 Flying Eagle Cent obverse die was somehow clashed with the reverse die from a contemporary Liberty Seated Half Dollar, leaving dramatic evidence on the obverse: the projections from the eagle’s beak, front wing, and tail are all clash marks and not at all detrimental to the grade.
Full article: https://www.pcgs.com/news/from-the-pcgs-grading-room
Want our top articles delivered to your e-mail inbox weekly? Join our e-newsletter here: https://www.pcgs.com/newsletter
Comments
I like the 1857 varieties. Would pass on this one because of the weak strike. Would love to own the AU58 clash with a $20!
Interesting.... and thanks for the link and excellent pictures. Cheers, RickO
That's insane!
We'll all need to be on the look out for a 1857 Flying Eagle Half Dollar now!
Here's another insane coin, a cent overstruck by nickel dies!