SKH-1c-1950-08 Spike Head

Description

Proof die varieties from the 1950 Lincoln Wheat Cent occupy a special niche in die variety research, and this eighth documented spike head for the date reflects a remarkable concentration of die fill errors across the proof production run. Only 51,386 proof sets were struck in 1950 — the first proof issue since the eight-year hiatus that began after 1942 — making proof die varieties from this date inherently scarcer than their business strike counterparts. A spike head forms when foreign matter lodges in the die cavity near Lincoln's portrait, causing a raised spike on the struck coin. The resumption of proof coinage after World War II drew intense collector attention, and the low mintage means every proof die pair received disproportionate scrutiny from researchers over the following decades. SKH-1c-1950-08 is cataloged by Cuds on Coins and is not listed in the Cohen Index. That eight spike heads have been documented on proof coins from a single date with barely fifty thousand sets speaks to the thoroughness of specialist research and the frequency with which die fill events occurred even under the controlled conditions of proof production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index Not Listed. 03/18/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References