SKH-1c-1951-01 Spiked Head

Description

First documented spiked head for the 1951 Philadelphia Lincoln Wheat Cent, SKH-1c-1951-01 holds Cohen Index 51-70 in the Cohen cataloging system for Lincoln Cent die anomalies. As the inaugural entry for this date, it establishes the baseline for subsequently cataloged spiked heads on 1951 Philadelphia cents. A spiked head results from die surface damage — typically a gouge or chip — near Lincoln's portrait that leaves a raised metallic projection on struck coins, and the first cataloged example for a date carries significance as the reference against which later discoveries are compared. Philadelphia's 1951 cent production of over 284 million pieces required hundreds of working dies, each susceptible to surface damage from the pressures of striking copper planchets at high speed. Cohen Index 51-70 positions this die within the broader study of 1951 Lincoln Cent working dies, where systematic numbering facilitates cross-referencing with other attribution sources. Bronze composition, part of the final decade of Wheat Cent production. Cataloged and verified by Cuds on Coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index 51-70. 03/25/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References