SKH-1c-1944D-05 Spiked Head

Description

Fifth spiked head documented for the 1944 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, SKH-1c-1944D-05 was cataloged by Cuds on Coins on July 19, 2017. The 1944-D cent marks the return to copper composition after the singular 1943 steel cent experiment — specifically, these cents were struck on shell-case copper planchets recycled from spent ammunition cartridges, giving them a distinctive brass-like color compared to pre-war cents. The die clash mechanism responsible for the spiked head operated identically on this shell-case alloy as on standard bronze: when a planchet failed to feed and the dies contacted each other directly, wheat ears reverse detail transferred into the obverse die, manifesting as a raised spike on Lincoln's portrait in subsequent strikes. Five documented spiked heads for 1944-D indicates multiple die clash events across different die pairs during Denver's production run — a year when cent manufacturing was still operating at wartime levels to replenish coinage depleted by hoarding and military needs. The Cohen Index does not list this variety, placing its primary documentation within the Cuds on Coins catalog. Each of the five spiked heads is distinguished by the unique characteristics of its spike — position relative to Lincoln's profile, angular orientation, and length — diagnostics that variety researchers employ to assign sequential catalog numbers. Denver's D mint mark below the date on the obverse places these spiked heads unambiguously as Denver production, and the shell-case copper composition can often be detected through the slightly warmer color tone compared to standard pre-war bronze, adding a material science dimension to the variety collector's examination of these wartime issues.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index Not listed. 07/19/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References