1946 (D) Lincoln Wheat Cent - SKH-1c-1946D-01 Spiked Head

Description

With peacetime production resuming in 1946, the Mint kept the wartime 95% copper, 5% zinc alloy; the standard bronze alloy with tin returned for Lincoln Cents in 1947. SKH-1c-1946D-01, bearing Cohen Index 46D-54, documents a spiked head die crack on a Denver Mint cent from this transition year. The raised spike formed as a progressive crack allowed planchet metal to flow upward into the fissure during striking. Collectors comparing spiked heads across the wartime-to-peacetime boundary can observe how cracks propagated differently through dies striking different substrate metals. Denver production in 1946 was robust as the economy shifted from military output to consumer goods, ensuring die varieties like this one entered circulation in quantity. Cohen 46D-54 provides the systematic attribution needed to distinguish this die pair from other 1946-D varieties.

Cross References

• Cross reference number: Cohen Index 46D-54. 02/25/2017.

External References