SKH-1c-1945D-02 Spiked Head

Description

Among the final Lincoln Wheat Cents produced during World War II, this 1945 Denver Mint business strike carries a spiked head — a raised spike protruding from Lincoln's portrait caused by foreign matter lodging in the die cavity during production. When debris fills a recess in the die, the corresponding area on the struck coin receives extra metal, producing a distinctive raised protrusion. SKH-1c-1945D-02 is the second documented spiked head for the 1945-D date, cataloged by Cuds on Coins. The 1945-D was struck in the brass shell case alloy (95% copper, 5% zinc) adopted during wartime in 1944 to replace the zinc-coated steel composition of 1943, making it the last year of wartime alloy production before the standard bronze formulation returned in 1946. Denver produced massive quantities of cents to support the war effort, and the high volume of die pairs in use increased the statistical likelihood of die fill errors across the production run. The variety is not listed in the Cohen Index, reflecting how comprehensively specialized catalogs like Cuds on Coins have expanded coverage beyond the traditional reference works.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index Not Listed. 01/29/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References