SKH-1c-1990-04 Spiked Head

Description

The fourth and most recently documented spiked head for the 1990 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent, SKH-1c-1990-04 was reported on November 7, 2024, completing a remarkable year that tripled the known spiked head population for this date. In the span of eleven months — from January to November 2024 — the catalog grew from a single entry (SKH-01, reported in 2016) to four documented varieties, demonstrating how quickly a date's error inventory can expand when collector attention focuses on it. The four spiked heads documented for 1990 Philadelphia each originate from a different obverse die, meaning at least four separate dies developed cracks near Lincoln's head during the year's production run — a count that implies additional undiscovered spiked head dies likely exist among the billions of 1990-P cents that have never been examined under magnification. Spiked head collecting has gained momentum as a specialty within Lincoln cent error collecting, with enthusiasts building date-complete sets of spiked head varieties across the Memorial cent series. The 2024 discovery cluster for 1990 Philadelphia illustrates both the depth of material awaiting examination and the accelerating pace of variety documentation in the digital era. Struck on copper-plated zinc planchets composed of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, weighing 2.5 grams and measuring 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by William (Bill) W
• Cross reference: none. 11/07/2024.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References