SKH-1c-2016-01 Spiked Head

Description

Opening the spiked head catalog for the 2016 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Shield Cent, this first entry for the date establishes that die clash events were occurring during the seventh year of Shield Cent production. The Union Shield reverse — adopted in 2010 to represent national unity — features bold geometric relief that leaves sharp, distinctive impressions when die clashes transfer its design into the obverse die. The resulting raised spike on Lincoln's portrait can vary dramatically in appearance depending on the exact alignment and force of the clash, and the -01 sequence number marks the initial documented occurrence for 2016-P. Philadelphia Mint cent production in 2016 remained in the billions, and the large number of die pairs consumed across the year's run made die clash events statistically inevitable. As the founding entry in what would likely become a growing catalog, SKH-1c-2016-01 provides the reference point against which subsequent 2016-P spiked heads are compared. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety joins a continuous chain of Shield Cent spiked heads spanning every year since the design's introduction, demonstrating that the clash phenomenon is inherent to high-volume production rather than a characteristic of any particular date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chris Pappa
• Cross reference: none. 06/01/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References