1953 (D) Lincoln Wheat Cent - SKH-1c-1953D-01 Spiked Head

Description

Cross-referenced to the Cohen Index as 53D-64, this first documented spiked head for the 1953 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent records a die crack from the mid-century peak of Wheat Cent production. The Cohen Index cross-reference ties this variety into the broader Lincoln Cent die variety classification system maintained independently from the Cuds on Coins spiked head catalog, providing dual attribution for collectors and researchers. A spiked head on a Wheat Cent forms the same way across the series: a crack opens in the obverse die and runs from the rim into Lincoln's bust, and planchet metal filling it during striking shows as a raised spike on Lincoln's head. Denver Mint cent production in 1953 was substantial, with the facility generating hundreds of millions of coins bearing the "D" mintmark. The 1953-D sits in the later Wheat Cent era, a period when die production had been refined over four decades of continuous Lincoln Cent manufacturing. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on December 20, 2016, SKH-1c-1953D-01 stands as the sole documented spiked head for this date and mint, though additional varieties may await discovery as collectors continue searching through surviving Wheat Cent populations. The Denver Mint had been striking Lincoln Cents since 1911, and by 1953 the facility's production processes were highly optimized for this denomination.

Cross References

• Cross reference: Cohen Index 53D-64. 12/20/2016.

External References