SKH-1c-1949-02 Spiked Head

Description

Second documented spiked head for the 1949 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, cross-referenced to Cohen Index 49-75 and cataloged by Cuds on Coins on October 19, 2017. The Cohen Index 49-75 number differs from the 49-88 assigned to the first spiked head (SKH-1c-1949-01), confirming that these two varieties originated from different die pairs — an expected finding, since each die clash event is specific to the individual die pair that experienced it. A die clash occurs when the obverse and reverse dies contact each other without a planchet, transferring wheat ears reverse elements into the Lincoln obverse die and creating a raised spike on Lincoln's portrait. The sequential discovery gap between the first entry (documented May 12, 2016) and this second entry (October 19, 2017) spans seventeen months, suggesting ongoing examination of 1949-P populations over an extended period. The 1949 cent was struck on standard post-war bronze planchets at the Philadelphia Mint, following the Mint's return to the pre-war alloy composition. Philadelphia continued operating without a mint mark on cents throughout the Wheat Cent era, maintaining the convention established when the Lincoln design debuted in 1909. Two spiked heads from 1949-P indicates a modest but meaningful catalog that reflects both the production volume and the diligence of researchers sorting through surviving Wheat Cent populations from this mid-century date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Sam Hoeser
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index 49-75. 10/19/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References