1951 Lincoln Wheat Cent - SKH-1c-1951-03 Spiked Head

Description

Cataloged third in the spiked head census for the 1951 Philadelphia Lincoln wheat cent, SKH-1c-1951-03 records a die crack variety on a post-war date that saw robust cent production as the American economy expanded during the Korean War era. Philadelphia struck approximately 284.6 million cents in 1951, returning to the standard bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) that had been briefly interrupted by the zinc-coated steel planchets of 1943 and the recycled shell casing brass of 1944-1946. By 1951, Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait had graced the obverse for over four decades, and the wheat ears reverse was approaching its final decade before the 1959 switch to the Lincoln Memorial design. The spiked head variety develops from a die crack — a fracture that opens in the obverse die and runs from the rim into Lincoln's bust. Planchet metal fills the crack during striking, so it shows as a raised spike-like projection on subsequently struck coins. The bronze planchet's softer composition meant dies generally lasted longer than during the 1943 steel cent period, making spiked head varieties on 1951 cents relatively less common than on their wartime steel counterparts. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, this variety invites examination at 10-15x magnification focused on Lincoln's head area, searching for the characteristic raised line where the die crack meets the portrait.

Cross References

• Cross reference number: none. 07/07/2024.

External References