SKH-1c-1983D-03 Spiked Head

Description

Linked to JCc-1983D_075 in the independent JCc attribution catalog, SKH-1c-1983D-03 records the third spiked head variety on the 1983 Denver Lincoln Memorial cent. The high JCc sequence number — 075 — indicates this die was documented well into the broader census of 1983-D die varieties, suggesting it was either a later discovery or identified from a die that entered service during a later production run. Spiked head errors are among the most visually compelling die varieties on Lincoln cents because the spike protrusion from Lincoln's head creates an instantly noticeable alteration to one of America's most familiar coin designs. Each spiked head originates from a unique die crack pattern — the angle of extension from the skull, the width of the crack channel, and the length of the resulting spike all serve as diagnostic fingerprints that separate one variety from another. The 1983-D cent's copper-plated zinc planchet, weighing 2.5 grams, fills the die crack during striking with layered material — copper coating over zinc core — producing a spike whose cross-section under extreme magnification would reveal the same copper-zinc boundary visible at the coin's edge. Denver's enormous 1983 cent output ensured numerous dies developed cracks, and the concentration of stress at the apex of Lincoln's portrait made this a recurring failure mode. Attribution by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference: none. JCc-1983D_075, 03/24/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References