SKH-1c-2023-13 Spiked Head

Description

Thirteenth spike head documented for the 2023 Philadelphia Lincoln Shield cent, SKH-1c-2023-13 continues the die failure census maintained by the Cuds on Coins attribution service for this recent production year. With at least thirteen independent instances cataloged, the 2023-P date demonstrates the consistent rate at which modern high-speed coining presses generate spike head failures across massive production runs of several billion cents annually. Each of these thirteen varieties originated from a different working die that developed its own unique crack at the top of Lincoln's head — the precise location and angle of each crack determines the individual character of the spike that appears on coins struck from that die. The Lincoln Shield design, combining Brenner's 1909 portrait with Bass's 2010 Shield reverse, produces cents on copper-plated zinc planchets at sustained rates exceeding 750 strikes per minute on modern Schuler presses. Under these conditions, a working die may produce several hundred thousand impressions before mechanical fatigue initiates a crack at the most vulnerable stress point in the die profile. Once initiated, the crack typically propagates with continued use, and coins struck at different stages of the crack's growth may show varying spike heights and widths — early-stage spikes tend to be thin and subtle, while late-stage spikes before die retirement can be broad and dramatically raised. The progression from SKH-1c-2023-11 through this SKH-1c-2023-13 entry, with additional entries almost certainly existing between and beyond them, reflects the systematic documentation approach that has made the Cuds on Coins spike head census a comprehensive resource for Lincoln cent die variety collectors. Basic magnification of 5-8x focused on the top of Lincoln's head remains the standard detection method.

External References