SKH-1c-1950-17 Spike Head

Description

First reported on June 11, 2018, the SKH-1c-1950-17 spike head variety comes from proof Lincoln Wheat Cent production at the 1950 Philadelphia Mint — one of seventeen documented spike heads for this proof-only date. Proof cents from 1950 were struck as part of proof sets with a total mintage of 51,386 sets, each containing the cent, nickel, dime, quarter, and half dollar. The controlled environment of proof coining — polished dies, specially prepared planchets, multiple strikes at reduced press speed — makes die clash events relatively uncommon, yet seventeen documented spike heads for this date reveal that proof die pairs were not immune to the occasional feed failure. A spike head on a proof coin is particularly striking visually: the raised spike from the die clash contrasts sharply against the deep mirror fields that characterize proof surfaces, making these varieties more immediately visible to the unaided eye than comparable spikes on business strikes. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait, with its fine detail in the hair and beard, provides an intricate canvas against which the spike stands out. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, no independent cross-references have been established for this variety. The seventeen spike heads documented for 1950 proof cents suggest systematic die clash occurrence across multiple proof die pairs during the year, and continued searching may yet yield additional undiscovered entries.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lucas M
• Cross reference number: none. 06/11/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References