1970 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent - SKH-1c-1970D-01 Spiked Head

Description

First in the spiked head catalog for the 1970-D Lincoln Memorial cent, SKH-1c-1970D-01 documents a die crack or chip at or near the top of Lincoln's head on the obverse that produces a spike-like projection of raised metal on struck coins. Spiked heads — sometimes called "horned heads" or "devil horns" by collectors — occur when a die crack propagates from the high-relief area of Lincoln's hair or forehead into the adjacent field, creating a channel in the die that fills with metal during striking. The result is a thin, pointed extension rising from Lincoln's head that resembles a spike, horn, or antenna depending on the crack's direction and length. Cuds on Coins, the source of the SKH designation, applies it to any obverse crack running from the rim into the bust, on Lincoln cents and on every other denomination with a bust. Documented on July 23, 2016, with no cross-references to other attribution systems, this variety's catalog position as SKH-01 marks it as the first spiked head identified for the 1970-D date.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 07/23/2016.

External References