SKH-1c-1953-03 Spiked Head

Description

Cross-referenced to the Cohen Index as entry 53-99, this third documented spiked head for the 1953 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent was first cataloged on March 25, 2016. The Cohen Index cross-reference provides an independent attribution pathway alongside the Cuds on Coins designation, allowing collectors to locate this variety in multiple reference systems. Spiked heads on Wheat Cents form through the same die clash mechanism seen across all denominations: the obverse and reverse dies contact each other without a planchet, and design elements from the wheat ears reverse transfer into the obverse die, producing a raised spike on Lincoln's portrait. However, the visual character of spiked heads differs between Wheat Cents and Shield Cents because the transferring reverse design differs — the wheat ears and surrounding lettering produce transfer patterns distinct from the bold geometric Shield reverse introduced in 2010. The 1953-P cent was struck in substantial quantities during the postwar production expansion, and three documented spike heads reflects moderate die clash activity across the year's die pairs. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait, by 1953 in its forty-fourth year of production, was one of the most familiar designs in American coinage, and the dies used to produce it were manufactured with well-established hub and die preparation techniques refined over decades. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, SKH-1c-1953-03 documents a specific clash event on a specific 1953 die pair, with the Cohen Index number 53-99 providing an additional reference anchor for researchers.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference: Cohen Index 53-99. 03/25/2016
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References