1973 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent - SKH-1c-1973D-06 Spiked Head

Description

The sixth spiked head attributed for the 1973 Denver Lincoln Memorial cent, SKH-1c-1973D-06 was documented by the Cuds on Coins team on December 23, 2020. No cross-references to other cataloging services have been established. This attribution came approximately six months after the fifth entry (June 2020), representing a period of renewed discovery activity for the 1973-D date's spiked head varieties during the second half of 2020. The December dating — just before year's end — may reflect a collector who had been searching through 1973-D cent rolls or bags and submitted the find upon confirming it did not match existing catalog entries. The 1973-D spiked head census was approaching the substantial totals seen for other high-mintage dates in the Lincoln Memorial series, confirming that Denver's massive production volume generated the die-stress conditions necessary for repeated portrait-apex failures across the die population. Each individual die's metallurgical composition, heat treatment, and service history determined whether and when a fatigue crack would initiate at the portrait apex. SKH-1c-1973D-06's unique spike angle and dimensions distinguish it from all five prior entries and serve as the primary diagnostic for collectors attributing specimens.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 12/23/2020.

External References