SKH-1C-2014-03 Spike Head

Description

Die chip varieties thrive wherever high-relief design elements meet the mechanical stresses of coin production, and the SKH-1C-2014-03 Spike Head on the 2014 Lincoln Shield Cent illustrates this principle on one of the most widely collected modern U.S. coins. Spiked heads form when a tiny fragment of hardened die steel chips away from the working die in the area surrounding Lincoln's portrait, creating a void that fills with metal during striking and produces a raised projection on the finished coin. The location, angle, and size of these projections vary from die to die, giving each spiked head variety its own diagnostic profile even when the underlying mechanism is identical. The 2014 Philadelphia Mint production of Lincoln Shield Cents generated an unusually high number of cataloged spiked heads — at least 22 documented by Cuds on Coins — suggesting either production volume, die steel characteristics, or striking conditions during that year were particularly conducive to this type of die failure. Cataloged as SKH-1C-2014-03, this variety is part of an extensive sequence that provides collectors with a comprehensive study of how die chips manifest across multiple dies working under the same production parameters.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chris Channel
• SKH-1C-2014-03
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References