SKH-25c-1995P-05 Spiked Head

Description

One of the newest additions to the quarter spiked head catalog, SKH-25c-1995P-05 was documented by Cuds on Coins as recently as September 23, 2024 — the fifth spiked head for the 1995 Philadelphia Mint Washington Quarter, making it one of the newest additions to the quarter spiked head catalog. This 2024 documentation date demonstrates that die varieties from nearly three decades past continue to be discovered and reported, as coins from older production years surface in collections, rolls, and circulation finds. The die clash mechanism on 1995-P quarters follows the standard pattern: when a planchet failed to feed and the dies contacted each other, elements from the heraldic eagle reverse transferred into the obverse die, producing a raised spike on Washington's portrait. Five documented spiked heads for a single date represents a notable concentration for the quarter denomination, where spiked heads are cataloged less frequently than on cents due to both lower production volumes relative to cents and less intensive variety examination of quarters generally. The 1995-P quarter was produced during the final four years of the original Flanagan eagle reverse before the transformative State Quarters program launched in 1999, and die varieties from this transitional period document the manufacturing baseline against which the State Quarters' dramatically increased production and die consumption can be compared. The nearly decade-long span between the 1995 production date and the September 2024 catalog entry illustrates the patient nature of die variety research, where discoveries can emerge years or decades after the coins were struck, driven by the gradual redistribution of coins through commerce and collecting activity.

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Bennett
• Cross reference: none. 09/23/2024.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References