SKH-1c-1984-04 Spiked Head

Description

What distinguishes SKH-1c-1984-04 from the other spiked head entries for the 1984 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent is the presence of reverse die cracks that serve as secondary attribution markers. While the primary feature — a die crack extending from Lincoln's head — follows the same mechanical origin as the other four cataloged spiked heads, the reverse die cracks provide an additional diagnostic layer. A collector examining a candidate coin can confirm attribution not only by matching the spike's position and geometry on the obverse but also by verifying the corresponding crack pattern on the reverse. This two-sided confirmation reduces the risk of misattribution, which becomes increasingly important as the number of cataloged spiked heads for a single date grows. The reverse cracks document a die pair approaching the end of its useful life on both faces simultaneously — obverse and reverse deteriorating in tandem under the relentless pace of Philadelphia's coining presses. Documented by Cuds on Coins on March 20, 2019, this variety was struck on copper-plated zinc planchets weighing 2.5 grams at 19mm from the 1984 Philadelphia mintage of 8,151,079,000 cents.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Alan English
• Cross reference: none. 03/20/2019.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References