SKH-1c-2020-01 Spiked Head

Description

The question of when a die crack becomes a spiked head—rather than simply a hairline or a die crack variety—is one that the variety numismatics community has debated without arriving at a rigid consensus. For SKH-1c-2020-01 on the 2020 (P) Lincoln Shield Cent, the Cuds on Coins attribution resolves the question by formal inclusion in the SKH catalog, but the underlying philosophical boundary remains instructive. The working definition most researchers apply is functional rather than morphological: a die crack that produces a spike-shaped extrusion from the portrait area of Lincoln's obverse qualifies, while cracks in the field or lettering areas that do not produce a portrait spike fall into other die crack categories. This definitional framework means that not every die crack on a 2020 cent rises to spiked head status, and it gives the SKH designation a meaningful specificity that prevents catalog inflation while still capturing the full range of genuine portrait spikes documented across the Shield cent series.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Nugent
• Cross reference: none. 06/23/2020.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References