SKH-1c-1967-07 Spiked Head

Description

Cataloged as SKH-1c-1967-07, this seventh spiked head variety for the 1967 Lincoln cent is cross-referenced to the Cohen Index as 67-56H with a documentation date of April 2, 2016. The "H" suffix within the fifty-sixth Cohen grouping indicates this is the eighth sub-variant (A through H) documented under that parent number, revealing an exceptional concentration of related spiked head varieties within a single die deterioration category. When multiple sub-variants cluster under a single Cohen number, it often indicates that the spike position in question — the specific location on Lincoln's portrait where the die fracture occurs — is a particularly common failure point in the die design, or that the cataloger identified several closely related but distinguishable spike presentations across different dies or die states. The Lincoln cent's obverse portrait includes several areas where the die steel is especially vulnerable to cracking: the top of the head, where the recessed cavity is deepest; the forehead-to-field transition; and the back of the skull near the truncation. Each of these zones can produce spiked heads with characteristic orientations, and the Cohen Index's sub-variant system captures this diversity in fine detail. The 1967 cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the final year of the Coinage Act of 1965 no-mint-mark era, from the year's production of 3,048,667,100 business strikes. Attributed by Cuds on Coins. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference: Cohen Index 67-56H. 04/02/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References