SKH-1d-JQA-2008P-01 Spike Head

Description

A spiked head variety on the 2008 Presidential Dollar honoring John Quincy Adams, the SKH-1d-JQA-2008P-01 from the Philadelphia Mint (Position A edge lettering) displays a die chip creating a raised protrusion from the portrait on the obverse. The Presidential Dollar series, struck from 2007 through 2016 in manganese brass-clad composition, featured a unique edge-lettered format with the date, mint mark, and motto incused on the edge rather than on the coin's face — and Position A designates the specific orientation of this edge lettering relative to the obverse. Spiked head varieties on Presidential Dollars are less commonly documented than on Lincoln Cents, making examples from this series notable within the broader spiked head collecting category. John Quincy Adams, the sixth President, was the second release of the 2008 program year. The die chip phenomenon that produces spiked heads results from metal fatigue in the die steel adjacent to the highest relief point of the portrait, where repeated striking cycles concentrate stress. Attributed by Cuds on Coins, this variety documents that the die failure patterns familiar to Lincoln Cent collectors — where the portrait's apex creates a vulnerability in the die — extend to the larger dollar denomination with its different portrait styles and compositions.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeff Ylitalo
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References