SKH-1c-1952-05 Spike Head

Description

Fifth spiked head variety cataloged for the 1952 proof Lincoln wheat cent, SKH-1c-1952-05 documents a die deterioration phenomenon where a thin spike of metal protrudes from Lincoln's head on Victor David Brenner's cent portrait. Spiked heads originate from small die cracks that develop in the recessed area around Lincoln's head in the die — as the crack opens, displaced die metal creates a narrow channel that fills with planchet metal during striking, producing a thin raised spike extending outward from the portrait. The 1952 proof issue, struck at Philadelphia with a mintage of approximately 81,980 proof sets, employed specially prepared dies and planchets intended to produce the highest quality strikes, making die deterioration varieties on proof coins particularly noteworthy because they document the progressive failure of dies that began service in pristine condition. Proof dies typically had shorter production runs than business strike dies, retiring when surface quality deteriorated below the standard required for collector-grade presentation. The designation SKH follows Cuds on Coins conventions for spiked head varieties: SKH for the error type, 1c for the denomination, 1952 for the date, and 05 indicating the fifth documented spiked head for this issue. Five documented spiked heads from a proof issue with under 82,000 examples suggests these die cracks developed across multiple proof dies during the production run. First cataloged on April 2, 2017, with no known cross-references, this variety offers proof Lincoln wheat cent collectors a die deterioration variety on a date from the penultimate decade of wheat reverse production. Collectors should examine the area around Lincoln's head under 10-15x magnification, looking for a thin metallic projection extending beyond the normal hair or profile outline.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Cross reference: none. 04/02/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References