SKH-1c-1958-03 Spiked Head

Description

The 1958 Lincoln Wheat Cent holds the distinction of being the final year of Victor David Brenner's wheat ears reverse design — a motif that had appeared on every Lincoln Cent since 1909 and would be replaced by Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse beginning in 1959. Cataloged as SKH-1c-1958-03 in the Cuds on Coins spiked head registry without a Cohen Index assignment, this business strike spiked head variety belongs to the last chapter of the original Lincoln Cent design. Collectors pursuing spiked head varieties across the Wheat Cent series find particular appeal in terminal-year examples because they represent the final opportunities for this type of die crack to occur on the classic reverse design. The raised spike extending from Lincoln's head was created by the same mechanism that has produced spiked heads throughout the series: a die crack intersects the portrait area, and striking pressure forces planchet metal into the fissure, creating a raised projection. The 1958 Philadelphia Mint cent was produced in substantial quantities — over 252 million pieces — generating considerable die consumption and numerous opportunities for die cracking to occur. End-of-series varieties carry a particular numismatic resonance, marking the final production of a design that defined nearly half a century of American small change.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference number: Cohen Index Not Listed. 09/16/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References