SKH-1c-1952-04 Spiked Head

Description

Tracked in the Cuds on Coins spiked head registry as SKH-1c-1952-04 and cross-referenced to Cohen Index 52-95 and Cohen Index 52-57, this variety appears on a 1952 Lincoln Wheat Cent. Spiked heads are a distinctive die break category in which a crack or chip near Lincoln's portrait produces a raised spike-like projection extending from the head on struck coins. The spike typically emanates from the top or side of Lincoln's head where die steel fatigue concentrates along the high-relief boundary of the portrait. The Cohen Index provides the definitive reference for Lincoln cent spiked head varieties, and the dual cross-references to entries 52-95 and 52-57 indicate this die has been independently cataloged under two Cohen sequence numbers, likely reflecting different documentation events or die state observations. The SKH prefix identifies spiked head varieties as a separate class from cuds and die chips. The 1952 Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint without a mintmark during the post-war era of high-volume cent production. Spiked heads are actively collected as a specialized sub-category within Lincoln cent die failure literature.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Christopher Rhodes
• Cross reference number:  Cohen Index 52-95. 06/03/2016. Cross reference number:  Cohen Index 52-95. 06/03/2016. Cross reference: Cohen Index 52-57. 01/23/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References