1794 Liberty Cap Right Half Cent - Low Relief Head - Liberty Cap Right Half Cent Die Clash (Third Example)

Description

Dating to the second year of United States half cent production, this die clash on a 1794 Liberty Cap Right Half Cent preserves the wreath design from the reverse transferred onto the obverse die, visible in front of Liberty's face and extending down the neck to the bust. Designated the "Third Example" to distinguish it from other documented 1794 clashes, this variety belongs to the first year of the redesigned half cent type featuring Liberty facing right — the 1793 Liberty Cap Left half cent had depicted her facing the opposite direction. Die clashes occur when obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a planchet between them, impressing elements of each die into the opposing surface. The resulting ghost images then appear on every subsequent coin struck by the affected die pair. The 1794 half cents were struck in pure copper at the Philadelphia Mint. Die clashes from this era are significant because they document the working conditions at the early Philadelphia Mint, where press operations were still being refined.