SKH-1c-2010-02 Spiked Head

Description

Just as the Lincoln Shield cent was establishing itself as the new American cent design in 2010, die-variety researchers confirmed a second spiked head for the year's Philadelphia production: SKH-1c-2010-02. The transition from Memorial to Shield reverse was the most significant design change for the cent since 1959, and the numismatic community's sustained interest in the new series contributed to relatively prompt documentation of die-caused anomalies on first-year coins. SKH-1c-2010-02 represents a separately cracked die from SKH-1c-2010-01 with its own unique fracture geometry producing a different spike character; both varieties share the same host coin and obverse portrait but are definitively different working dies. The Shield reverse's clean, bold design set the 2010 spiked head varieties against a coin that collectors already sought for its place in Lincoln cent design history.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson
• Cross reference: none. 05/12/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References