SKH-1c-1950D-02 Spiked Head

Description

Where the 1950 Philadelphia proof issue has yielded thirteen documented spike heads, the Denver business strike offers a complementary perspective on die fill varieties for the same year. SKH-1c-1950D-02 is the second documented spiked head for the 1950-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, a regular strike produced at the Denver Mint in standard bronze alloy. The contrast between proof and business strike die fill errors is instructive: proof dies are prepared with greater care and struck under more controlled conditions, yet the 1950 proofs accumulated more documented spike heads than the Denver business strikes, likely reflecting the disproportionate scrutiny that low-mintage proof coins receive from researchers. A spiked head forms when foreign matter lodges in the die cavity near Lincoln's portrait, causing a raised spike of metal on the struck coin. SKH-1c-1950D-02 is cataloged by Cuds on Coins and is not listed in the Cohen Index. Business strike spiked heads from the early 1950s circulated widely and were subject to wear that could obscure the spike, making well-preserved examples with clearly visible die fill features more desirable for variety collectors.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index Not Listed. 07/14/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References