2023 (P) Lincoln Shield Cent - SKH-1C-2023-01 Spike Head

Description

SKH-1C-2023-01 is a spike head on the 2023 Philadelphia Lincoln Shield cent. The Lincoln Shield cent design — Victor David Brenner's Lincoln obverse paired with Lyndall Bass's Union Shield reverse — has been in continuous production since 2010, and every year of production has generated documented spike head varieties as a predictable consequence of die fatigue in high-volume coining operations. Spike heads occur when fatigue cracks develop at the crown of Lincoln's head, where the fine hair detail creates stress concentration points that initiate fracture under the repeated cyclic loading of production striking. The crack propagates outward through the die field toward the rim, creating a recessed channel in the die that fills with metal during each subsequent strike and produces the raised horn-like projection on finished coins. Collectors can identify spike heads at low magnification — typically 3-5x is sufficient — by examining the area above Lincoln's hair line for any raised protrusion extending toward the rim that does not appear on normal specimens.

Cross References

• SKH-1C-2023-01

External References