SKH-1c-1967-02 Spiked Head

Description

Designated SKH-1c-1967-02 and cross-referenced to the Cohen Index as 67-58 with a documentation date of March 31, 2016, this second cataloged spiked head for the 1967 Lincoln cent belongs to the fifty-eighth Cohen grouping for the date. The Cohen Index's sequential numbering provides collectors with a standardized reference system for identifying and discussing spiked head varieties, much as Wexler numbers serve for doubled dies and CONECA designations serve for repunched mint marks. The 67-58 designation, cataloged on the same day as the neighboring 67-55E variety, suggests a burst of research activity in which multiple spiked heads from the 1967 date were formally documented simultaneously. Spiked heads vary considerably in their visual impact: some produce barely perceptible bumps requiring high magnification, while others generate dramatic horn-like projections visible to the unaided eye. The severity depends on the size and depth of the die fracture, with larger fractures producing more pronounced spikes. The enormous 1967 business strike production of 3,048,667,100 cents at the Philadelphia Mint ensured that thousands of dies were pushed into advanced stages of deterioration, creating ideal conditions for the development of spiked heads across the die population. The 1967 date carries no mint mark — the final year of the Coinage Act of 1965 no-mint-mark mandate. Attributed by Cuds on Coins. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference: Cohen Index 67-58. 03/31/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References