How did the Y get doubled on this clash?

xphobe

It looks to me like the Y in LIBERTY is doubled. How does this happen? If it's strike doubling, why isn't anything else doubled?

Leiana

Possibly the Y was messed up in the clash and subsequently repunched.

-Amanda

Conder101

No picture, red X

MAD4MORGANS

I dunno. If this is what your looking at, then the shape doesn't seem to match up with the Y.

Maybe this is part of the clashing from the reverse.

DRG

I believe MAD4MORGANS is correct. What you are seeing is the inprint from the pillars on the reverse. They all have a slight angle at their top and bottom. While the angle at first glance appears to be the same as the Y, the arm of the Y comes off at a sharper angle.

Die clash marks can be very confusing. The part of the die that creates the field is what actually makes the deepest marks on the opposing die. It creates these marks, usually in the field of the opposing die, however, these marks are upside down and reversed from what we expect. Then the deepest marks are usually polished off, so what remains often is not at all what you might expect to see. Furthermore, the mint does some times "FIX" the damaged die.

I have several examples of what appear to be hand carved "E PLURIBUS UNUM" buffalo's. All of them show evidence of die clash. Most collectors of Buffalo's know that die clashing plagues the series, but I have never seen anything written about hand carving "E PLURIBUS UNUM". Does anyone know anything about this?