SKH-10c-2004P-01 Spiked Head

Description

Sole spiked head documented for the 2004 Philadelphia Mint Roosevelt Dime, this variety records a die clash from a year that was dominated numismatically by the Westward Journey Nickel Series and the continuing State Quarters program — two high-profile circulating commemorative series that drew collector attention away from standard-design denominations like the Roosevelt Dime. The spiked head mechanism on Roosevelt Dimes mirrors the process documented across all denominations: during high-speed coining operations, a planchet feed failure allows the obverse and reverse dies to contact each other directly, and the torch reverse design transfers detail into the obverse die that manifests as a raised spike on the portrait. The 2004-P dime was produced in substantial quantities to meet circulation demand, and yet only a single spiked head has been cataloged — a count that likely reflects search intensity rather than actual die clash frequency. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with documentation dated December 13, 2016, SKH-10c-2004P-01 preceded the 2005-P entries in the die variety catalog, demonstrating that consecutive Philadelphia Mint dime dates experienced die clashes during this period. Roosevelt Dime spiked heads remain an underexplored frontier in die variety collecting, and single-entry dates like 2004-P represent opportunities for future researchers to expand the known catalog through targeted roll searching and estate collection examination.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ben Lewis
• Cross reference: none. 12/13/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References