2016 (D) Lincoln Shield Cent - SKH-1c-2016D-03 Spiked Head

Description

Three spiked head dies from a single date-and-mint combination is a meaningful cluster that invites questions about whether particular production conditions at the Denver Mint during 2016 may have contributed to a higher incidence of portrait-area die cracking. SKH-1c-2016D-03 on the 2016 (D) Lincoln Shield Cent represents the third distinct die to develop this failure mode, and while three examples do not constitute a statistically significant sample in isolation, they contribute to a broader dataset that researchers can analyze across years and facilities. Factors that could elevate die crack rates include increased striking pressure settings, higher-than-normal production speeds, subtle changes in die steel heat treatment, or simply the natural variation inherent in any industrial process involving thousands of hardened steel tools. Cataloged and attributed by Cuds on Coins.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 09/24/2020.

External References