SKH-1c-1943D-03 Spiked Head

Description

Third and final documented spiked head for the 1943 Denver Mint steel cent, SKH-1c-1943D-03 was cataloged by Cuds on Coins on April 5, 2018. This variety completes a trio of spiked heads spanning three different obverse dies that experienced die clash events during Denver's 1943 wartime cent production. The Cohen Index does not include a listing for this variety, indicating it was discovered and cataloged outside that reference work's scope. Three spiked heads across the 1943-D date reflects a production environment where the unprecedented steel planchet composition and accelerated wartime schedules combined to create conditions favorable for die clash occurrences. Each of the three documented spiked heads — recorded in 2016, 2016, and 2018 respectively — represents a distinct die clash event on a separate obverse die, producing spikes with different positions, angles, and lengths on Lincoln's portrait. The 1943 steel cent remains one of the most recognizable and widely collected United States coin types, and die varieties on these distinctive coins attract attention from both variety specialists and general collectors who appreciate the wartime historical context. Denver's 1943-D production contributed to the total output of over a billion steel cents struck across all three mint facilities that year, and the consumption of hundreds of die pairs created the statistical opportunity for multiple clash events to occur and be documented. SKH-1c-1943D-03 closes out the known spiked head catalog for this date-mint combination, though future discoveries could expand the sequence as additional specimens surface from rolls, collections, and circulation finds.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index Not Listed. 04/05/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References