SKH-1c-2018-05 Spiked Head

Description

Fifth in the spiked head census for the 2018-P Lincoln Shield cent, SKH-1c-2018-05 documents the midpoint of the documented die crack varieties for this date, with seven total spiked heads cataloged for Philadelphia's 2018 cent production. The five spiked heads identified by this point in the census indicate that variety hunters had thoroughly examined a significant sample of the approximately 4.22 billion cents Philadelphia struck in 2018, discovering portrait-area die cracks at a consistent rate. Each spiked head forms when a fatigue crack opens in the working die's incuse portrait area, and subsequent strikes force copper-plated zinc planchet metal into the crack, creating the raised spine-like projection that gives the variety its colloquial name. The precise character of each spike — where it originates on Lincoln's profile, which direction it extends, and how far it projects — is determined by the unique crack geometry on the individual working die. Two dies that crack at the same general location will still produce slightly different spikes because the crack propagation path through the die steel follows local grain boundaries and stress concentrations that vary from die to die. This uniqueness is what allows the Cuds on Coins service to assign individual SKH numbers: each number represents a verifiably distinct working die with its own diagnostic spike characteristics. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln obverse pairs with Lyle Okerlund's Union Shield reverse on all 2018 cents, continuing the design format established in 2010. The shield's geometric lines and heraldic composition represent a distinctly different aesthetic from the Memorial and wheat ear reverses of earlier decades, though the obverse portrait has remained fundamentally unchanged. Collectors examining potential matches should use 10-15x magnification and compare against published reference photographs, focusing on the spike's positional attributes rather than its prominence, which can vary with strike strength.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bernie Esguerra
• Cross reference: none. 08/02/2019.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References