SKH-1c-2016-10 Spiked Head

Description

Tenth spiked head variety documented for the 2016-P Lincoln Shield cent, SKH-1c-2016-10 marks a round-number milestone in the die crack census for this high-mintage Philadelphia date. Reaching ten documented spiked heads indicates sustained die deterioration activity across the enormous 2016-P cent production of approximately 4.67 billion pieces, combined with consistent variety hunter attention in searching through the output. Spiked heads form through a specific die failure mode: the tool steel ridges within the incuse Lincoln portrait eventually fracture under the repeated mechanical shock of striking copper-plated zinc planchets at high speed. These fractures create narrow channels that capture planchet metal during each press cycle, building up a thin raised projection — the spike — on the struck coin's surface. The direction, length, and origin point of each spike depend entirely on the crack pattern unique to the individual working die, meaning no two spiked head varieties are positionally identical. Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln, first introduced in 1909 and refined over subsequent decades, provides the design framework whose fine detail creates the mechanical vulnerability that produces spiked heads. The portrait's hair treatment is particularly susceptible, as the closely spaced incuse lines representing individual strands leave minimal die steel between them. Lyle Okerlund's Union Shield reverse, in production since 2010, places the shield design, ONE CENT scroll, and E PLURIBUS UNUM motto on the reverse. The designation SKH-1c-2016-10 follows Cuds on Coins conventions and carries no cross-references to other attribution systems. Collectors seeking to confirm this specific variety should examine Lincoln's portrait under 10-15x magnification and match the spike's position and orientation against published diagnostic images, paying close attention to whether the spike originates from the hair, forehead, brow, or profile area.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Nugent
• Cross reference: none. 10/03/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References