SKH-10c-1946-01 Spiked Head

Description

First spiked head variety cataloged for the 1946 Roosevelt dime by the Cuds on Coins attribution service, SKH-10c-1946-01 documents a die chip anomaly on the inaugural year of John R. Sinnock's design that would remain in production for decades. Spiked heads are a distinctive form of die deterioration unique to portrait coinage — they occur when a small fragment of die steel breaks away from the field area adjacent to Liberty's or a president's head, leaving a void in the die that fills with metal during striking and produces a raised spike or horn projecting from the portrait on the finished coin. The 1946 Philadelphia issue represents the very first regular-issue Roosevelt dime, authorized by Congress to honor President Franklin D. Roosevelt following his death in April 1945, with a mintage of approximately 255.3 million pieces. That substantial inaugural production run required many working dies, and the stress of high-volume coining on newly prepared dies created conditions favorable for the small die chips that generate spiked head varieties. The catalog designation follows standard format: SKH for spiked head, 10c for the dime denomination, 1946 for the date, and 01 as the first cataloged example. Unlike cuds or retained cuds that affect the rim area, spiked heads occur within the interior design field — typically projecting from the top of the head, forehead, or crown area — and produce a narrow, pointed protrusion that can range from barely perceptible to dramatically prominent depending on the size of the die chip and the striking pressure applied. Collectors searching for this variety should examine the area around Roosevelt's head under 8-12x magnification, looking for any raised spike or projection that extends beyond the normal contour of the portrait into the surrounding field.

External References