SKH-10c-1924-01 Spiked Head

Description

Sole documented spike head variety for the 1924 Mercury dime, SKH-10c-1924-01 was cataloged by Cuds on Coins as of January 27, 2021. Philadelphia struck approximately 24.01 million dimes in 1924, a mid-range mintage for the Mercury dime series that places the date neither among the key rarities nor the common issues. Adolph A. Weinman's design — often mistakenly called "Mercury" due to the winged cap's resemblance to the Roman god's headgear — depicts Liberty in profile with flowing hair and the winged Phrygian cap, creating a sculptural head area where die cracks produce visually striking spike projections. The spiked head phenomenon on Mercury dimes results from radial die cracks that develop at or near the highest point of relief on the obverse, where the cap and wing intersection creates a stress concentration in the die steel. When the die cracks, planchet metal is forced into the fissure under striking pressure, producing a raised spike that extends beyond the normal design boundary. No cross-references from other attribution services have been identified for this variety, making the Cuds on Coins listing the primary documentation source. The 1924 Mercury dime sits in a period when the Philadelphia Mint had been producing the type for eight years, and die preparation techniques were well established — yet the inherent challenges of Weinman's high-relief design continued to generate die failures throughout the series' thirty-year production span. Collectors should examine the top of Liberty's head under magnification, looking for a raised projection that extends outward from the normal head contour with metallic luster matching the coin's surfaces, and should compare against published reference images to confirm the specific die crack geometry that defines this particular spike head attribution.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeff Ylitalo
• Cross reference: none. 01/27/2021.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References