SKH-1c-1940S-01 Spike Head

Description

Representing the sole spiked head cataloged for the 1940-S Lincoln wheat cent by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, SKH-1c-1940S-01 records a die chip anomaly on a San Francisco Mint cent from the immediate pre-war period. San Francisco struck approximately 112.9 million cents in 1940, a production volume that reflected the expanding economy as defense-related industrial activity accelerated in the months before America's formal entry into World War II. Spiked heads represent a category of die deterioration specific to portrait coinage: a small fragment of die steel separates from the die face in the area adjacent to the portrait — in this case, Victor David Brenner's Lincoln bust — leaving a void that accepts planchet metal during striking and produces a raised spike or horn projecting from the head into the surrounding field. The S-mint designation makes this variety notable within the spiked head census because San Francisco cent production volumes were typically smaller than Philadelphia's, meaning fewer working dies were consumed and consequently fewer die deterioration varieties tend to be documented for S-mint issues. The catalog designation follows the standard Cuds on Coins format: SKH for spiked head, 1c for the cent denomination, 1940S for the date and mint, and 01 as the first cataloged variety. The 1940 cent is struck on the standard 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc bronze alloy — a composition that would be modified during the war years, first to the shell-case alloy (1944-1946) and briefly to zinc-coated steel (1943). Collectors should examine the area surrounding Lincoln's head under 8-12x magnification, looking for a raised projection that extends into the field beyond the normal portrait contour, and should note that the S mintmark on the obverse confirms the San Francisco origin of this specific die variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mike Antenucci
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References