SKH-5c-1918D-01 Spiked Head

Description

Produced at the Denver Mint during World War I, this 1918-D Buffalo Nickel carries the first documented spiked head variety for the date — a die crack radiating outward from the Indian Head portrait that produces a raised spike of metal on the struck coin. Spiked heads form when a progressive crack develops in the die near the portrait area, and the widening fracture fills with metal during striking to create a distinctive raised line projecting from the head. This left-side spiked head is paired with SKH-5c-1918D-02, which documents a right-side crack on a different die, together showing that die stress affected portrait-area dies from both orientations during 1918-D production. The Buffalo Nickel, designed by James Earle Fraser and produced from 1913 to 1938, features a composite portrait of three Native American chiefs on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse. Denver's 1918 nickel production supported wartime commerce as the nation mobilized for the conflict in Europe. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins, SKH-5c-1918D-01 documents die deterioration on a denomination whose high-relief obverse design was particularly susceptible to stress fractures around the portrait area.

Attribution History

• Cross reference: none. SKH-1918D-01 is the left side die crack, while the right-side die crack is SKH-1918D-02. 02/25/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References