1943 (D) Lincoln Wheat Cent - SKH-1c-1943D-01 Spiked Head

Description

First documented spiked head on the 1943 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, SKH-1c-1943D-01 carries unique wartime significance because the 1943 cent was struck on zinc-coated steel planchets rather than the traditional copper alloy — a substitution mandated by the War Production Board to conserve copper for ammunition casings during World War II. A spiked head forms the same way regardless of planchet composition: a crack opens in the obverse die between the rim and the bust, and metal filling the crack during striking leaves a raised spike or horn on Lincoln's portrait in subsequent strikes. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins and cross-referenced against the Cohen Index (where it is listed as not indexed), this variety was documented on April 26, 2016. The 1943-D steel cent had a substantial mintage at Denver, as all three operating mints — Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco — produced the wartime steel composition that year. Steel cents are magnetically attracted, visually distinctive with their silvery appearance (when uncorroded), and heavily collected as a category, but spiked head varieties on steel cents receive less attention than the composition itself, making SKH-1c-1943D-01 a noteworthy intersection of wartime numismatic history and die variety research. The Cohen Index non-listing suggests this variety was discovered after the Cohen catalog's coverage period.

Cross References

• Cross reference number: Cohen Index Not Listed. 03/26/2016.

External References