SKH-1c-1986-11 Spiked Head

Description

Cross-referenced as JCc-1986_020 in the James Cassin census, SKH-1c-1986-11 on the 1986 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent benefits from dual-catalog documentation that strengthens its attribution foundation. The JCc cross-reference connects this variety to an independent tracking system maintained outside the Cuds on Coins framework, providing collectors with a secondary verification path when examining specimens they believe match this die pair. Dual-cataloged varieties carry an inherent advantage: two separate attributors have independently examined the die characteristics and confirmed the variety's existence, reducing the risk of misidentification or phantom listings. The spiked head itself follows the established pattern of a die crack originating at the deepest recess of the Lincoln portrait — the crown of the head — and propagating outward through the die face into the surrounding field. Each crack's morphology is unique to the specific die that produced it, determined by the grain structure, heat treatment, and accumulated stress history of that individual piece of tool steel. The JCc-1986_020 designation indicates this was the twentieth 1986-dated variety cataloged in Cassin's system, suggesting an active documentation effort for die cracks and breaks from this high-mintage year. Struck at Philadelphia (no mint mark) on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference: JCc-1986_020. 12/21/2023.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References