A clashed die and ghosting are both phenomena that can affect coins, but they arise from different causes and have distinct characteristics. 

Cause:

• A clashed die occurs when the obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a blank coin (planchet) in between.

Characteristics:

• Imprinted Design Transfer: The impact causes portions of the design from one die to be imprinted onto the other die.

• Resulting Coins: Subsequent coins minted with these dies will display faint, mirrored elements of the design from the opposite side.

• Appearance: The transferred design elements appear as ghostly, reversed impressions on the coins. For example, an image of a part of the obverse design might appear faintly on the reverse side and vice versa.

Identification:

• Look for unusual, out-of-place design elements on a coin, often appearing as faint, mirrored images of the designs from the opposite side.

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A major die break, also called a "cud" because of the nickname given to the error in the early days of error identification, happens during the coin minting process due to a rather dramatic issue with the die itself. Here's the breakdown:

1. Die Under Pressure: The dies used for minting coins are incredibly strong, but repeated use can put a strain on them. This pressure, especially on certain metal alloys, can lead the die to become brittle.
   
   

2. Breaking Away: Due to the brittleness, a chunk of the die can actually crack or break off. This piece can be a substantial portion, often including some of the design near the edge of the die.
   
   

3. Molding the Metal: Even with a missing piece, the minting process continues. The blank metal disc (called a planchet) is placed between the dies and struck with immense force.
   
   

4. Filling the Void: The missing chunk in the die leaves a void. When the planchet is struck, the metal fills this void because it's softer than the die.
   
   

5. The Cud Effect: On the resulting coin, you'll see a raised area that lacks the design element. This raised area is the leftover impression of the missing die piece, and it's what collectors call a cud.
   
   

Major die breaks must include the rim. If they do not then they are know as die chips (for breaks that are smaller than 4mm), die cracks, interior die breaks or sunken dies.

The primary mission of this website is to list all known major die breaks and designate a unique number to help collectors identify which die break they have and allow them to continue to search for the die breaks they don't have. You can find these listings here.

This happens when the hammer die is not attached properly. As a result, it will strike coins that appear off-centre on only one side. The anvil die and collar will still hold the planchet as normal and the design elements will strike on centre as a normal strike. The centred side of the coin will usually show areas of weakness on the edge that corresponds to the unstruck portion since it did not have sufficient pressure to raise the design elements.

Depending on the severity of how far the misalignment is will determine its collect-ability. Minor misalignments are common and disregarded by the error collecting community. In order for it to command a premium over face value, the coin needs to be missing some of the design elements. 

This occurs when a planchet is fed into the press and struck by the dies more than once. Misfeeds or mechanical issues can cause this. The design elements of earlier strikes can be seen easiest on the highest areas of relief. This is because they are the lowest parts of the die and exerts the least amount of pressure on the planchet.

The second strike (or later strikes) can be on centre or off-center if the coin was not ejected properly from the striking chamber.

It's important to note that all proof coins are struck more than once but you would need the coin to have shifted after the first strike to be able to classify it as an error.