SKH-1c-1949-01 Spiked Head

Description

Launching the spiked head catalog for the 1949 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this first entry for the date is cross-referenced to Cohen Index 49-88, providing dual attribution in both the Cuds on Coins sequential system and the comprehensive Cohen die variety catalog. The 1949 Philadelphia Mint cent was produced during the early post-war era, when the United States economy was transitioning from wartime mobilization to peacetime consumer growth. Cent production had returned to standard bronze composition (95% copper, 4% zinc, 1% tin) in 1947, leaving the wartime shell-case brass behind, and the familiar Wheat Cent design continued its march toward what would prove to be its final decade. A spiked head forms through the die clash mechanism: when the obverse and reverse dies contact each other without a planchet between them, elements of the wheat ears reverse transfer into the Lincoln obverse die, creating a raised protrusion from Lincoln's portrait on subsequent strikes. The Cohen Index 49-88 cross-reference places this variety within the comprehensive die numbering system, providing researchers with a precise die identification beyond the sequential spiked head number. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on May 12, 2016, SKH-1c-1949-01 establishes the reference point for 1949-P spiked heads. As the founding entry, its spike position and characteristics define the standard against which subsequent discoveries from this date are compared and distinguished.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Michael Veltum
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index 49-88. 05/12/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References