SKH-1c-2014D-01 Spiked Head

Description

Denver Mint spiked heads on Lincoln Shield Cents carry the D mintmark that distinguishes them from their far more numerous Philadelphia counterparts, and SKH-1c-2014D-01 is the first documented die clash variety from the 2014-D production run. The Denver facility struck billions of cents in 2014, operating parallel to Philadelphia's massive output, and the high-speed presses at both facilities inevitably produced occasional cycles where no planchet fed between the dies. When obverse and reverse dies contact each other directly, the Union Shield's bold geometric design transfers into the obverse die face, creating a raised spike on subsequently struck coins. Denver-mint spiked heads tend to be less extensively documented than Philadelphia varieties, partly because collector attention has historically focused more heavily on P-mint examples and partly because Denver's die management practices may differ slightly. The D mintmark on the obverse provides an immediate attribution aid, confirming the coin's Denver origin without ambiguity. As the first and, at present, one of only two cataloged spiked heads for the 2014-D, this variety holds the lead position in what may prove to be a shorter sequence than the twenty-five entries documented for the 2014-P. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on August 27, 2016, this variety demonstrates that die clash events occur across both active Mint facilities during Shield Cent production, and D-mint examples represent an underexplored frontier for dedicated variety hunters.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Earl M
• Cross reference: none. 08/27/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References