SKH-1c-1909-02 Spiked Head

Description

Second cataloged spiked head on the 1909 Lincoln wheat cent, SKH-1c-1909-02 documents a die clash variety from the very first year of what would become the longest-running coin design in American history. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait debuted in 1909 to commemorate the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, and the initial production generated immediate controversy — Brenner's initials "V.D.B." appeared prominently on the reverse, prompting a public outcry that led the Mint to remove them after only a brief production run, creating the famous 1909-S VDB rarity. Philadelphia struck approximately 72.7 million Lincoln cents in 1909 (combining V.D.B. and non-V.D.B. varieties), the inaugural output of a design that would appear on the obverse for well over a century. A spiked head variety on this first-year issue carries particular collector interest because it combines the appeal of a die-produced variety with the historical significance of the design's debut year. The spike forms through die clashing — when obverse and reverse dies make contact without an intervening planchet, elements of the reverse wheat ears design impress into the obverse die near Lincoln's head, creating raised spike-like projections on subsequently struck coins. The 1909 cent was struck on the standard bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) that would remain the norm until the wartime changes of 1943. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, SKH-1c-1909-02 appeals to collectors who value first-year-of-issue varieties and die-produced anomalies. Examination under 10-15x magnification around Lincoln's head will reveal the spike — a thin raised line projecting from the portrait in a direction determined by the specific reverse element that created the die clash impression.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Nolan Workman
• Cross reference number: none. 01/06/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References