SKH-1c-2021-12 Spiked Head

Description

Die families—groups of varieties produced from dies that were hubbed from the same working hub or that show related die characteristics—offer a framework for understanding how multiple spiked head varieties on a single date may be more closely related than their separate catalog numbers suggest. For the 2021 (P) Lincoln Shield Cent, where varieties including SKH-1c-2021-12 and its numbered neighbors were all produced by Philadelphia Mint dies hubbed from the same master, the notion of die families implies that certain crack-susceptible die zones may appear consistently across multiple working dies derived from the same generation of hubs. If a hub has a subtle flaw or stress concentration at a particular point, every working die produced from it may be predisposed to crack in the same area—leading to a cluster of spiked head varieties that are related by shared manufacturing heritage rather than by coming from the same individual die. Advanced die family research represents a frontier area within Lincoln cent variety studies.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mitch Wilkinson
• Cross reference: none. 03/16/2023.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References