SKH-50C-1996P-02 Spike Head

Description

Finding a spiked head on a Kennedy Half Dollar is genuinely unusual — the vast majority of documented spiked heads appear on Lincoln Cents, where the smaller die face and higher production volumes create conditions more conducive to the die deterioration that forms these varieties. This second documented spiked head for the 1996 Philadelphia Mint Kennedy Half Dollar preserves a spike-like projection extending from Kennedy's portrait, formed by a die crack or die chip near the top of the president's head. By 1996, Kennedy Half Dollars were produced primarily for collector channels rather than general circulation, as the denomination had largely disappeared from everyday commerce by the 1980s. The limited production context makes die varieties on 1990s halves inherently scarcer than those on high-volume cent production. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, SKH-50C-1996P-02 demonstrates that spiked head die failures are not exclusive to small-denomination coinage — the fundamental die stress mechanics that produce spikes can occur on any denomination where repeated striking causes metal fatigue near the portrait area of the die.

Attribution History

• SKH-50C-1996P-02; none. 09/28/2021.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References