SKH-1c-1951-03 Spiked Head

Description

Cataloged third in the spiked head census for the 1951 Philadelphia Lincoln wheat cent, SKH-1c-1951-03 records a die clash artifact on a post-war date that saw robust cent production as the American economy expanded during the Korean War era. Philadelphia struck approximately 284.6 million cents in 1951, returning to the standard bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) that had been briefly interrupted by the zinc-coated steel planchets of 1943 and the recycled shell casing brass of 1944-1946. By 1951, Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait had graced the obverse for over four decades, and the wheat ears reverse was approaching its final decade before the 1959 switch to the Lincoln Memorial design. The spiked head variety develops through die clashing — when the obverse and reverse dies strike together without an intervening planchet, elements of the reverse design can impress into the obverse die near Lincoln's head. These impressions create shallow recesses in the die that transfer as raised spike-like projections on subsequently struck coins. Unlike the 1943 steel cent where the harder planchet composition dramatically increased clash frequency, the 1951 bronze cent represents normal production conditions where die clashes occur through mechanical timing irregularities or misfeeds in the planchet delivery system. The bronze planchet's softer composition meant dies generally lasted longer than during the 1943 steel cent period, making spiked head varieties on 1951 cents relatively less common than on their wartime steel counterparts. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety invites examination at 10-15x magnification focused on Lincoln's head area, searching for the characteristic raised projection that marks the transferred reverse design element.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Greg Bowyer
• Cross reference number: none. 07/07/2024.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References