2003 Typical Die Clash TDC-25C-2003-01AL

Description

Documented by MadDieClashes as TDC-25C-2003-01AL, this typical die clash occurred on the 2003 Philadelphia Alabama State Quarter — the twenty-second release in the 50 State Quarters Program. A die clash results from the obverse and reverse dies meeting without an intervening planchet, each die impressing elements of the opposing design into its own face. Subsequent coins then show faint ghost images from the wrong side bleeding through around the primary design. Alabama's reverse, designed by Norman E. Nemeth, depicts Helen Keller with her name in English and braille, the state outline, a banner reading "Spirit of Courage," and a longleaf pine branch — distinctive elements whose ghost impressions may appear near Washington's portrait on clashed obverse dies. Alabama was the first state to feature braille on a U.S. coin, making clash specimens from this issue notable both as die varieties and as artifacts from a historically significant design. The Mint's high-speed production for the State Quarters series, which generated unprecedented public interest in coin collecting, made die clashes an inevitable byproduct of billions of annual strikes. Struck on copper-nickel clad at 24.3mm. Look for faint traces of the Alabama reverse elements near Washington's head and neck.

Attribution History

• Discovered by MadDieClashes
• Expert attribution by MadDieClashes

External References