SKH-1C-2014-07 Spike Head

Description

When die steel fractures near the deepest recesses of a coin design, the result can be a raised metallic projection that transforms an otherwise ordinary cent into a collectible variety — and the SKH-1C-2014-07 Spike Head on the 2014 Lincoln Shield Cent is one such example. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this is the seventh distinct spiked head die documented for the 2014 Philadelphia Mint production, part of a sequence that would eventually reach at least 22 entries. The mechanics of spiked head formation are tied to the physics of die construction: Lincoln's portrait is incised into the die as a deep cavity, and the thin walls of die steel surrounding the highest-relief features — the hair, brow, and nose — are vulnerable to chipping under the repeated impact of striking. Each chip creates a small void in the die face, and when a planchet is struck against this damaged die, metal flows into the void and produces the characteristic spike on the finished coin. The Lincoln Shield Cent design, with its finely detailed portrait sculpted by Lyndall Bass, provides ample opportunity for these micro-fractures along the intricate hair curls and facial contours that define the obverse design.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Christoper Rhodes
• SKH-1C-2014-07
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References