2022 (P) Lincoln Shield Cent - SKH-1C-2022-03 Spike Head

Description

Cataloged as a spike head for the 2022 Philadelphia Lincoln Shield cent, SKH-1C-2022-03 continues the documentation of die cracking phenomena on the modern Lincoln cent obverse. Production volumes for 2022 remained in the billions. Spike heads form through a specific failure mechanism: repeated striking creates stress fractures radiating outward from the high-relief areas of Lincoln's hair at the crown, and when these cracks reach the die surface between the design elements and the rim, they produce a recessed channel in the die that fills with planchet metal during striking, creating the characteristic raised spike on the finished coin. Lyndall Bass's Shield reverse, featuring a Union shield motif with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll across the top, continues the design that replaced the Lincoln Memorial reverse in 2010. Philadelphia's 2022 cent production numbered approximately 3.16 billion pieces — a volume that tests the endurance of every working die pair in the production pipeline. Die steel composition and heat treatment are engineered to withstand the punishment of striking copper-plated zinc planchets at high speed, but the inevitable fatigue failure of die steel under cyclic loading ensures a steady supply of cracked dies entering the variety record. The Cuds on Coins attribution service systematically catalogs these spike head occurrences as they are submitted by collectors. Inspection at 5-10x magnification of the top of Lincoln's head is sufficient to identify most spike head varieties.

Cross References

• SKH-1C-2022-03

External References