SKH-1c-1971D-19 Spiked Head

Description

Nineteenth in the Cuds on Coins spiked head catalog for the 1971-D Lincoln Memorial cent, SKH-1c-1971D-19 shares the January 4, 2018 documentation date with SKH-18, indicating these varieties were identified and submitted together as part of the same examination session. With nineteen entries cataloged and at least two more to follow, the 1971-D spiked head population had grown into one of the most extensive single-date variety families in the Lincoln cent die break literature. The practical challenge for collectors at this catalog depth is attribution precision: with nineteen similar varieties — all featuring a raised spike from Lincoln's head — distinguishing one from another demands careful measurement of each spike's departure angle from the portrait, its radial length, and its width. Photographic comparison against the published reference images for each catalog number remains the most reliable attribution method. Attributed by Cuds on Coins, SKH-1c-1971D-19's place near the end of the catalog reflects its discovery sequence rather than any inherent ranking of significance — the numbering simply records the order in which varieties were identified and submitted, not a hierarchy of rarity or visual impact. Some of the highest-numbered entries may in fact display more dramatic spikes than lower-numbered varieties that happened to be discovered earlier.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bob Byrd
• Cross reference: none. 01/04/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References