SKH-25c-1999P-01(CT) Spiked Head

Description

Cataloged as SKH-25c-1999P-01(CT), this spiked head variety appears on the 1999 Philadelphia-struck Connecticut State Quarter, the first year of the landmark State Quarters program that ran from 1999 to 2008. Spiked head varieties occur when a die gouge, crack, or retained piece of die steel creates a raised spike or protrusion extending from Washington's head on the obverse, giving the portrait an unusual horn-like or spike-like appendage. The copper-nickel clad quarter weighs 5.67 grams and measures 24.26 mm in diameter with a reeded edge. The Cuds on Coins reference project documented this variety as of August 14, 2017, noting that no cross-references exist in other cataloging systems. The reverse carries significant additional diagnostics: two bilateral die cracks extending from the rim to the base of the Charter Oak tree, positioned just adjacent to the M in UNUM. Connecticut's State Quarter reverse, designed by T. James Ferrell, depicts the historic Charter Oak tree that legendarily concealed the colony's Royal Charter in 1687. The bilateral die cracks reaching the Charter Oak suggest the reverse die was under considerable stress, with fractures developing symmetrically from the rim inward. Spiked head varieties on State Quarters are avidly collected because they are visually dramatic and easy to spot even without magnification, making them accessible to beginning collectors while still carrying numismatic significance for advanced variety specialists who catalog the specific die responsible for each spike manifestation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeff Ylitalo
• Cross reference: none. 08/14/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References