SKH-1c-2015-19 Spiked Head

Description

Cherry-picking spiked heads from circulation is a genuine pursuit, and the 2015 Lincoln Shield Cent is one of the better years to target given its documented population depth. The search begins with raw cent rolls from a bank — 50 coins per roll. A loupe in the 5x to 10x range is sufficient for initial triage; any anomaly near Lincoln's head warrants closer examination. The key search zone is the portrait itself, particularly the hair above the ear, the jaw line, and the area just above the date. Spiked heads on this design tend to emerge at the intersection of high-relief elements and the open field, where die stress concentrates. When a candidate appears, the critical question is whether the feature sits above or below the surface — a raking light test answers this definitively. Hold the coin at a low angle to a bright point source: a genuine spike catches light and casts a small shadow; a scratch reflects from the opposite direction. SKH-1c-2015-19 is the kind of variety a patient searcher might pull from a bank roll using exactly this technique.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Earl M
• Cross reference: none. 11/21/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References