SKH-1c-2020-04 Spiked Head

Description

Fourth and highest in the 2020 spiked head catalog, SKH-1c-2020-04 closes out a notably thin year for documented die cracking on Lincoln Shield Cents. Four entries for 2020 represents the lowest annual total in this batch, a figure likely reflecting the cascading effects of the pandemic on both Mint production and the hobby infrastructure that feeds discoveries into the Cuds on Coins pipeline. Coin shows were cancelled, group roll searches were curtailed, and the nationwide coin shortage made bank-wrapped rolls — the primary hunting ground for cent varieties — scarce in many regions. Despite these headwinds, four distinct spiked heads were identified, submitted, and cataloged, demonstrating the resilience of the die variety collecting community. On the production side, Philadelphia maintained standard cent specifications — 19mm diameter, 2.5 grams, copper-plated zinc — even as it navigated workforce reductions and safety protocols. Brenner's obverse portrait and Bass's Shield reverse continued unchanged. Each of the four 2020 spiked heads represents a die that cracked under normal striking pressures, a mechanical certainty no pandemic could prevent.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Matthew Vallee
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References