SKH-1c-1968D-01 Spiked Head

Description

Cataloged as SKH-1c-1968D-01, this is the first documented spiked head variety for the 1968-D Lincoln Memorial cent and the earliest spiked head attributable to the Denver Mint since 1964, owing to the three-year absence of mint marks under the Coinage Act of 1965. Spiked head varieties form when a die crack or die chip develops in the die steel adjacent to Lincoln's portrait on the obverse, creating a raised spike or horn-like projection on the struck coin that extends from the head into the surrounding field. The visual effect is unmistakable: Lincoln appears to sprout a thorn or antenna from his scalp, forehead, or the back of his head, depending on where the die fracture occurred. The severity of the spike varies with the depth and orientation of the underlying fracture, and specimens from different die states may show the spike at different stages of development as the crack progressively widens during the die's service life. This variety is cross-referenced to the Cohen Index as 68D-56B, documented on 10/20/2017. The Cohen Index provides a systematic numbering framework for spiked head and other die deterioration varieties on Lincoln cents, and the 68D-56B designation identifies a specific die fracture within the fifty-sixth spiked head grouping for the 1968-D date. Attributed by Cuds on Coins. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc at the Denver Mint.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Nolan Workman
• Cross reference: Cohen Index 68D-56B. 10/20/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References