SKH-1c-1949-03 Spiked Head

Description

Third spiked head documented for the 1949 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety carries the Cohen Index cross-reference 49-81, placing it within the comprehensive Lincoln Cent die classification system alongside the earlier 49-88 and 49-75 entries. Three spiked heads for a post-war Wheat Cent date demonstrates a solid level of die clash documentation, indicating that at least three distinct die pairs experienced the unobstructed contact between obverse and reverse dies that transfers wheat ears design elements into the Lincoln obverse die. The Cohen Index 49-81 designation provides precise die identification within the Cohen system — different from the sequential numbering of the Cuds on Coins spiked head catalog, which tracks discovery order rather than die pair identity. The 1949-P cent was struck during the late 1940s economic expansion, a period when the United States Mint was producing coins in volumes sufficient to supply growing post-war commercial activity. Bronze composition (95% copper, 4% zinc, 1% tin) had been restored in 1947 after the wartime deviations of 1943 steel and 1944-1946 shell-case brass. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on February 22, 2017, SKH-1c-1949-03 adds depth to the 1949-P spiked head record. The Wheat Cent's reverse design, with its relatively simple composition of wheat stalks and text, produces distinctive but sometimes subtle clash impressions that require experienced examination to distinguish from other raised anomalies.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index 49-81. 02/22/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References