SKH-1C-2022-04 Spike Head

Description

Fourth spike head variety documented for the 2022 Philadelphia Lincoln Shield cent by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, SKH-1C-2022-04 records another distinct die crack variety from the modern Lincoln cent production line. With four cataloged spike heads, the 2022 date is building its census at a pace that suggests continued submissions will expand the total over time, following the pattern established by earlier years like 2021 where the census ultimately reached into the mid-40s. The Lincoln Shield cent obverse — Victor David Brenner's portrait design, refined by subsequent Mint engravers over more than a century of production — features intricate hair detail at the top of the head that serves as the focal point for spike head formation. The physics of die failure are straightforward: the fine raised elements in the die that produce Lincoln's hair detail create geometric stress concentrators where the cross-sectional area of die steel is locally reduced, and under the cyclic loading of production striking, fatigue cracks initiate at these locations and grow until they breach the die surface. Philadelphia struck approximately 3.16 billion cents in 2022, requiring an enormous number of die pairs whose service life pushes each die through hundreds of thousands of strike cycles. The statistical inevitability of die cracking at the portrait's crown across this massive die consumption ensures a continuous supply of spike head varieties for the attribution catalog. The raised projection on struck coins — extending from the top of Lincoln's head toward the rim — varies in length, width, and angle from one spike head to another, reflecting the unique crack path in each individual die. Collectors can typically identify spike heads at 3-5x magnification or even with careful unaided-eye examination, making them one of the most accessible die variety types for both experienced numismatists and newcomers to variety collecting.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John LaVoie
• SKH-1C-2022-04
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References