SKH-1c-1991-16 Spiked Head

Description

Reported on April 15, 2024, SKH-1c-1991-16 of the 1991 Lincoln Memorial cent represents a modern-era discovery enabled by advances in digital photography. The democratization of macro photography through smartphone cameras equipped with close-focus capabilities and inexpensive clip-on macro lenses has transformed error coin searching: what once required a stereo microscope and specialized lighting can now be accomplished with a phone camera held steadily over a coin. High-resolution digital images can be enlarged, enhanced, and shared instantly through online attribution forums where experienced catalogers provide rapid identification feedback. This technological shift has expanded the pool of active variety searchers far beyond the traditional community of collectors with dedicated numismatic equipment, bringing fresh eyes — and fresh coins — into the search population. The 2024 discovery date for SKH-16 places it firmly in this digital photography era, where a searcher may have spotted the spike through a phone lens, photographed it at high resolution, and submitted the images for cataloging electronically. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets composed of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, weighing 2.5 grams and measuring 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by William (Bill) W
• Cross reference: none. 04/15/2024.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References