1882 Indian Head Cent Die Clash (Reverse)

Description

This 1882 Indian Head Cent exhibits a die clash on the reverse where multiple facial features of the obverse portrait have been transferred through the reverse lettering area. The Indian's eye is visible through the letters CE in CENT, with part of the chin and lips also transferred, along with the forehead clashed onto the reverse die surface. This multi-feature transfer creates a particularly detailed and visually striking clash pattern, as the eye, chin, lips, and forehead together outline a significant portion of the obverse portrait's facial profile impressed across the reverse wreath and lettering zone. Die clashes on Indian Head Cents produce distinctive results because James B. Longacre's obverse portrait — depicting Liberty wearing a Native American feathered headdress — features bold, high-relief facial features and headdress elements that transfer forcefully when the dies meet without an intervening planchet. The feathered headdress, in particular, can leave intricate linear impressions that create complex clash patterns not seen on other denominations. The 1882 Indian Head Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint — the only operating mint for cent production at that time — in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. Longacre's design served from 1859 through 1909, when it was replaced by Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait. The reverse features a wreath of oak leaves and a shield, designed by Longacre, with the denomination ONE CENT centered within the wreath. The concentration of clash marks across CE in CENT suggests the dies were closely aligned in their normal striking position when the clash occurred, transferring the facial features to their geometrically corresponding locations on the opposing die.