SKH-1c-1971D-12 Spiked Head

Description

Documented just six days after SKH-11, on December 18, 2017, SKH-1c-1971D-12 on the 1971-D Lincoln Memorial cent represents the twelfth distinct spiked head die cataloged for this date. Attributed by Cuds on Coins, this variety emerged during a concentrated late-2017 discovery wave that added multiple entries to the 1971-D spiked head roster in rapid succession. The proximity of discovery dates — SKH-11 on December 12, SKH-12 on December 18 — is consistent with a systematic search through a large quantity of 1971-D cents, where a diligent examiner working through a bag or collection of this high-mintage date encounters spiked head after spiked head as the statistical probability of finding die crack varieties is amplified by the enormous number of working dies that produced the nearly three billion coins. Identification of SKH-1c-1971D-12 requires careful comparison of the spike's position and trajectory against neighboring catalog entries. With twelve varieties now documented and more to follow, the challenge shifts from finding any spiked head to correctly attributing which spiked head a given specimen represents — a task demanding attention to the precise angle, length, starting position, and width of the crack's raised impression on the coin's surface.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bob Byrd
• Cross reference: none. 12/18/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References