1950 Lincoln Wheat Cent - SKH-1c-1950-17 Spiked Head

Description

Seventeenth cataloged spiked head for the 1950 Philadelphia Lincoln wheat cent, SKH-1c-1950-17 continues the extensive spiked head documentation for this early Cold War-era date. By 1950, the United States Mint had settled back into peacetime production rhythms after the composition upheavals of 1943-1946, striking cents on standard bronze planchets at Philadelphia and San Francisco (Denver did not produce cents in 1950, though it famously struck the low-mintage 1950-D nickel). Philadelphia's output of approximately 272.6 million cents was struck from a large number of obverse dies, and cracks running from the rim into the bust appeared on many of them. When such a crack reaches Lincoln's portrait and fills with metal during striking, the raised line on the coin is classified as a spiked head variety. The distinction between this 17th variety and the 16th, 18th, 19th, and other spiked heads documented for the same date lies in the precise location, direction, and extent of the spike — each originates from a different cracked die, producing a unique diagnostic pattern. Victor David Brenner's obverse design, approaching its 42nd year of production in 1950, had become the most familiar portrait in American coinage. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety challenges collectors to identify the specific spike characteristics that separate it from the numerous other spiked head varieties on the 1950 cent. Examination at 10-15x magnification should focus on Lincoln's head area, and comparison against published diagnostic images for each numbered variety is essential for accurate attribution.

Cross References

• Cross reference number: none. 06/11/2018.

External References