SKH-10c-1943D-01 Spiked Head

Description

The first of two documented spiked heads for the 1943-D Mercury Dime, the SKH-10c-1943D-01 captures die chip deterioration during the height of World War II production at the Denver Mint. The 1943 date represents peak wartime coinage demand — the Mint was simultaneously producing the famous zinc-coated steel cents, wartime silver nickels, and maintaining standard silver dime and quarter production to keep American commerce functioning during the war effort. The unprecedented production pressure of 1943 placed extraordinary demands on die inventories across all denominations, and the spiked head failure pattern — where the deepest cavity in the die steel deteriorates and allows metal to create a raised protrusion from Liberty's cap — would have been more likely under accelerated production schedules that reduced the time between die inspections. Attributed by Cuds on Coins with a catalog date of December 2017, this wartime spiked head variety connects the Mercury Dime's design vulnerability to the broader context of American industrial mobilization. The Denver Mint's 1943 dime production contributed to the massive wartime coinage output that included some of the most unusual compositions in U.S. numismatic history.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Soren Rollin
• Cross reference: none. 12/29/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References