1942 Mercury Dime - SKH-10c-1942-01 Spiked Head

Description

Documented by Cuds on Coins as of March 29, 2018, SKH-10c-1942-01 represents a spiked head die variety on the 1942 Philadelphia Mercury dime, appearing at a pivotal moment in the series when wartime production was escalating dramatically. Despite the enormous output, this remains the sole spike head variety cataloged for the 1942-P dime, a statistic that may reflect either the robustness of die preparation during this high-volume year or incomplete census coverage from variety researchers. Adolph A. Weinman's Winged Liberty Head design, first introduced in 1916 as part of a sweeping redesign of American silver coinage, presents a left-facing portrait of Liberty wearing a cap with wings — an artistic motif drawn from classical imagery that proved both aesthetically celebrated and mechanically challenging for Mint engravers. The spike head develops when a die crack forms near the crown of Liberty's head, typically radiating from the highest-relief area where the wing meets the cap. Under the immense pressure of the striking process, planchet metal is extruded into the crack, producing a raised spike or horn-like projection. This variety predates the composition change to silver-free planchets that the Mint would implement for nickels in 1942 but not for dimes, which retained their 90% silver content through 1964. Examination under 8-12x magnification should reveal the spike's characteristic sharp projection emerging from the head area, with consistent metallic luster confirming it as a die-origin feature rather than post-strike damage.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 03/29/2018.

External References