SKH-1c-1941S-01 Spiked Head

Description

Struck at San Francisco in the last full year before Pearl Harbor, this 1941-S Lincoln Wheat Cent carries a raised spike from the top of Lincoln's portrait — the signature of a die crack that channeled metal upward into the fissure under striking pressure. Cataloged as Cohen Index 41S-74, SKH-1c-1941S-01 documents a die failure at the westernmost mint facility then in operation. The 1941 production year marks the final peacetime output on standard 95% copper bronze planchets before wartime compositions transformed the series: zinc-coated steel in 1943, then recycled shell casing brass in 1944-45. San Francisco's role would shift dramatically after December 7, 1941, as all three mints redirected capacity toward the war effort. This spiked head variety preserves a snapshot of routine die wear at a facility on the cusp of wartime manufacturing demands, making it a tangible connection between pre-war normalcy and the emergency coinage that followed.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Earl M
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index 41S-74. 07/08/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References