SKH-1c-2013-02 Spiked Head

Description

Following closely behind the inaugural 2013-P spiked head, this second entry in the sequence documents another die clash event on a 2013 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield Cent. The rapid progression from -01 to -02 indicates that die variety researchers identified multiple distinct spiked heads during early examination of the 2013-P population. A die clash occurs when the coining press cycles without a planchet between the dies, allowing the Union Shield reverse and Lincoln obverse to strike each other directly. The reverse's prominent vertical lines — representing the states bound together — impress into the obverse die and manifest as a raised protrusion from Lincoln's head. Each spiked head is unique to the specific die pair and clash event that created it, identified by measuring the spike's exact position relative to landmarks on Lincoln's portrait. The 2013-P was the fourth production year for the Shield Cent design, and by this point the die variety community had established systematic search protocols for locating new spiked heads. SKH-1c-2013-02 is cataloged by Cuds on Coins. The growing body of spiked head data across Shield Cent dates provides researchers with statistical insight into die clash frequency as a function of production volume and die life.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Sean O’Connell
• Cross reference: none. 09/23/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References