SKH-1c-2005-01 Spiked Head

Description

Establishing the baseline for spiked head documentation on the 2005 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent, this inaugural entry for the date records the first confirmed die clash producing a raised spike on Lincoln's portrait. Cataloged on October 4, 2016, by Cuds on Coins, SKH-1c-2005-01 documents a die clash event where the obverse and reverse dies contacted each other without a planchet between them during high-speed coining operations. Elements of Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse — the columned memorial building that had graced the cent's reverse since 1959 — transferred into the obverse die, creating a raised protrusion from Lincoln's head on subsequent strikes. The 2005-P cent was produced during the final years of the Memorial reverse, with only three more years of production remaining before the 2009 bicentennial designs and the 2010 Shield reverse transition. As the -01 entry, this variety holds special significance as the first documented die clash for its date, and collectors who value sequential completeness recognize founding entries as the anchor points for each date's spiked head catalog. The 2005-P was also notable for being produced alongside the 2005 Satin Finish coins included in Mint Sets, though spiked heads are documented on business strike coins from circulation rather than on specially packaged collectible issues. Memorial Cent spiked heads from the 2000s are moderately challenging to locate, requiring careful examination under magnification due to the subtler clash impressions generated by the architectural reverse design.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Sandy Peters
• Cross reference: none. 10/04/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References