SKH-1c-1966-02 Spiked Head

Description

Designated SKH-1c-1966-02, this second cataloged spiked head variety for the 1966 Lincoln cent was documented on 09/29/2017 and carries the notation that no Cohen Index cross-reference has been assigned. The absence of a Cohen Index number means that this spiked head was not listed in the Cohen reference at the time of cataloging, though it has been formally documented and attributed by the Cuds on Coins project. Spiked head varieties occupy an interesting niche in the Lincoln cent collecting ecosystem: they are die deterioration errors rather than die manufacturing errors (like doubled dies), meaning they develop during the die's working life as the repeated stress of striking gradually weakens the die steel around Lincoln's portrait. The mechanism is fundamentally the same as the die cracking that produces cuds at the rim, but because the damage occurs near the portrait rather than at the periphery, the visual result is a spike or thorn-like protrusion from the head rather than a featureless lump at the rim. Spiked heads range from barely visible bumps requiring high magnification to dramatic spikes visible to the unaided eye, and the more prominent examples tend to generate stronger collector interest. The 1966 cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the second year of the no-mint-mark era established by the Coinage Act of 1965. The year's business strike mintage of 2,188,147,783 cents required thousands of working dies, providing ample opportunity for die deterioration of all types. Attributed by Cuds on Coins. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Nolan Workman
• Cross reference: Cohen Index Not Listed. 09/29/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References