SKH-1c-1972-12 Spiked Head

Description

Attributed by the Cuds on Coins team on March 22, 2019, SKH-1c-1972-12 is the twelfth documented spiked head variety for the 1972 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent. No cross-references to other attribution services have been established. The March 2019 date falls approximately five months after the eleventh entry (October 2018), representing a resumption of new discoveries following a brief pause in submissions. A spiked head develops when a fatigue crack forms at the deepest point of the obverse die cavity — the apex of Lincoln's portrait — and propagates toward the die working surface. Once the crack reaches the face of the die, metal from the planchet flows into the crevice under striking pressure, building a raised spike or horn that projects from Lincoln's head on each subsequently struck coin. The geometry of the spike — its angle, length, width, and precise point of origin on the scalp — serves as the primary diagnostic for distinguishing one spiked head variety from another, since each originates from a unique die with its own microstructural crack path. SKH-1c-1972-12 extends the documented census of Philadelphia Mint obverse dies from 1972 that experienced this characteristic portrait-apex failure, adding to the already substantial body of evidence that demonstrates the prevalence of this die deterioration mode during high-volume cent production. Collectors searching for this specific variety should compare the spike geometry of candidate specimens against published reference imagery, paying particular attention to the angle of projection relative to the vertical and the precise location where the spike emerges from the portrait.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mike Durney
• Cross reference: none. 03/22/2019.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References