SKH-10c-1940S-02 Spiked Head

Description

The second spiked head cataloged for the 1940-S Mercury Dime, the SKH-10c-1940S-02 documents die chip deterioration at the San Francisco Mint during the pre-war buildup years. The 1940-S was struck at a time when American military preparation was beginning to influence Mint operations — though the United States had not yet entered World War II, the economic expansion associated with defense mobilization was increasing demand for circulating coinage. Two spiked heads for the 1940-S date indicates that multiple San Francisco Mint dies experienced similar failure patterns at Liberty's cap apex, where the deepest cavity in the die concentrates striking force and accelerates metal fatigue. Adolph A. Weinman's Mercury Dime design — produced in 90% silver composition throughout the series — features the distinctive winged Phrygian cap that is the source of spiked head varieties across all dates. Attributed by Cuds on Coins with a catalog date of October 2016, this is one of the earlier-documented Mercury Dime spiked heads in the Cuds on Coins database. The pair of 1940-S spiked heads provides collectors with a date showing multiple die failures of the same type, enabling comparison of how different dies developed similar deterioration patterns at the same stress point on the design.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Juan Aguerre
• Cross reference: none. 10/09/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References