SKH-1c-2012-02 Spiked Head

Description

Second spiked head in the census for the 2012-P Lincoln Shield cent, SKH-1c-2012-02 documents a portrait-area die crack variety from the third year of Union Shield reverse production at Philadelphia. With only two documented spiked heads as of the most recent census update, the 2012-P shows a relatively low count compared to later Shield cent dates that accumulated dozens of spiked head varieties — a difference likely attributable to the evolving size of the variety hunting community and the increasing attention paid to Shield cent die cracks over time. Philadelphia struck approximately 3.13 billion cents in 2012, a substantial output though lower than the peak years of 2015-2018 that exceeded 4 billion. The spiked head originates from a crack in the working die's incuse portrait area. Victor David Brenner designed the Lincoln obverse in 1909, and his carefully detailed hair rendering creates the complex die topography that makes Lincoln cent obverses particularly susceptible to this type of deterioration. When a ridge of die steel between incuse elements fractures, the resulting channel captures planchet metal during each strike, forming a raised spine or spike on finished coins that projects outward from Lincoln's head. The Union Shield reverse by Lyle Okerlund, with its geometric shield design representing national unity and its ONE CENT denomination on a scroll banner, provides the reverse design context for this variety. Each spiked head variety produces a spike at a unique position and angle because each originates from a different crack on a different working die. SKH-1c-2012-02 can be distinguished from SKH-1c-2012-01 by comparing these positional characteristics under 10-15x magnification. Cataloged by the Cuds on Coins service with no cross-references, this variety contributes to the growing Shield cent die crack record that has expanded substantially since the design's 2010 introduction.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Earl M
• Cross reference: none. 06/07/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References