2007 Type I Counter Clash CCLTI-25C-2007-01MT

Description

Cataloged as CCL(TI)-25c-2007-01MT by MadDieClashes, this Type I counter clash variety appears on the 2007-P Washington Statehood quarter honoring Montana. A counter clash occurs when a die that has already been clashed (struck against the opposing die without a planchet) subsequently transfers those secondary clash marks onto coins, creating a second-generation impression that is typically fainter and more diffuse than a primary die clash. On this Montana quarter, two sets of clash marks are visible, slightly offset from each other, and this offset produced the counter clash effect. The primary pickup point is a faint extra jaw line visible to the right of the steer's skull on the Montana reverse design, indicated by the descriptive arrows in reference images. The two clash marks were left by the jaw line of the steer's skull, transferred from the reverse die to the obverse, and then back to subsequently struck coins. This coin is composed of a copper-nickel clad composition (91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel outer layers bonded to a pure copper core), weighing 5.67 grams with a 24.3 mm diameter. The State Quarters 1999-2008 series, authorized by the 50 State Quarters Program Act of 1997, produced unique reverse designs for each state, and Montana's design featuring a bison skull over a landscape of mountains and river made it susceptible to this particular clash pattern. Counter clash varieties represent one of the more complex die error mechanisms in modern numismatics.

External References