SKH-1c-1943D-01 Spiked Head

Description

First documented spiked head on the 1943 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, SKH-1c-1943D-01 carries unique wartime significance because the 1943 cent was struck on zinc-coated steel planchets rather than the traditional copper alloy — a substitution mandated by the War Production Board to conserve copper for ammunition casings during World War II. The die clash mechanism that produces spiked heads operates the same regardless of planchet composition: when the obverse and reverse dies strike each other without an intervening planchet, design elements from the wheat ears reverse transfer into the obverse die, creating a raised spike or horn that appears on Lincoln's portrait in subsequent strikes. However, the steel planchet composition altered striking dynamics — steel is harder than bronze, and the dies may have experienced different wear and clash patterns than in normal copper cent production. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins and cross-referenced against the Cohen Index (where it is listed as not indexed), this variety was documented on April 26, 2016. The 1943-D steel cent had a substantial mintage at Denver, as all three operating mints — Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco — produced the wartime steel composition that year. Steel cents are magnetically attracted, visually distinctive with their silvery appearance (when uncorroded), and heavily collected as a category, but spiked head varieties on steel cents receive less attention than the composition itself, making SKH-1c-1943D-01 a noteworthy intersection of wartime numismatic history and die variety research. The Cohen Index non-listing suggests this variety was discovered after the Cohen catalog's coverage period.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index Not Listed. 03/26/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References