SKH-10C-1918D-02 Spike Head

Description

The second spiked head variety cataloged for the 1918-D Mercury Dime, the SKH-10C-1918D-02 displays a die chip or progressive crack creating a raised protrusion from the highest point of Liberty's Phrygian cap on Adolph A. Weinman's iconic obverse design. Spiked heads on Mercury Dimes form through the same mechanism as their Lincoln Cent counterparts — metal fatigue at the die's deepest cavity point, corresponding to the highest relief on the coin — but the Liberty cap profile creates a different spike morphology than Lincoln's head. The 1918-D Mercury Dime was struck at the Denver Mint in 90% silver composition during the final year of World War I, when wartime production demands placed exceptional pressure on Mint operations and die inventories. The Denver Mint's 1918 dime output was substantial, and the presence of two documented spiked heads suggests that multiple dies experienced similar failure patterns in the Liberty cap area. Attributed by Cuds on Coins with a catalog date of August 2017, this variety adds to the growing documentation of spiked head phenomena across the Mercury Dime series, where the design's high-relief cap creates a consistent vulnerability in the corresponding die cavity that produces spike-like protrusions when the steel deteriorates.

Attribution History

• SKH-10C-1918D-02; none. 08/15/2017.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References