SKH-1c-2017P-09 Spiked Head

Description

Approaching double digits in the catalog sequence for a single date, SKH-1c-2017P-09 on the 2017 (P) Lincoln Shield Cent reflects a level of documentation intensity that few dates in the spiked head catalog have achieved. Nine distinct dies documented with portrait-area cracks from Philadelphia's 2017 production represents a remarkable concentration of research effort, and the sequence's depth makes 2017-P a benchmark date for studying spiked head frequency. The Shield cent obverse, while sharing the fundamental Brenner portrait with earlier Lincoln cent designs, features subtle relief differences from the Memorial and Wheat cent versions that may influence stress distribution across the die face during striking. Whether these design-era differences affect crack susceptibility is difficult to determine without controlled experiments, but the robust catalog from recent Shield cent years suggests that the modern obverse hub is at least as prone to portrait-area cracking as its predecessors. Attributed by Cuds on Coins from Philadelphia Mint production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Zach Llewellyn
• Cross reference: none. 06/25/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References