SKH-1c-1944-03 Spiked Head

Description

Third documented spiked head for the 1944 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent and cross-referenced to Cohen Index 44-49, this variety was among the earliest die clash discoveries cataloged for the date. The Cohen Index 44-49 designation places this spiked head within the lower range of the 1944 die numbering sequence, potentially indicating an earlier die pair in the production run. A spiked head forms through the fundamental die clash mechanism: when the obverse and reverse dies contact each other without an intervening planchet, elements of the wheat ears reverse impress into the obverse die surface, creating a raised protrusion on Lincoln's portrait that appears on all subsequent coins struck from the clashed die. The 1944 Philadelphia Mint produced Lincoln Cents on shell-case brass — recycled military cartridge cases composed of 95% copper and 5% zinc — as part of the World War II materials conservation program. Production volumes were extraordinary, driven by wartime economic demands that required vast quantities of circulating coinage. Three spiked heads represents the earliest entries in what would grow to be one of the largest spiked head catalogs for any single Wheat Cent date, eventually reaching at least twelve documented varieties. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on June 1, 2016, SKH-1c-1944-03 was documented during the same productive research period that yielded several other 1944-P spiked head discoveries. The Cohen Index cross-reference connects this variety to the broader Lincoln Cent die attribution network.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index 44-49. 06/01/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References