SKH-10c-1942-01 Spike Head

Description

Documented by Cuds on Coins as SKH-10c-1942-01, this spike head variety appears on the 1942 Mercury dime — the penultimate year of Adolph A. Weinman's iconic Winged Liberty Head design that graced the denomination from 1916 through 1945. Philadelphia struck approximately 205.4 million dimes in 1942, a year of surging wartime production that demanded heavy die usage. The spike head phenomenon on Mercury dimes manifests differently than on Lincoln cents: the die crack develops near the wing or cap area of Liberty's head, where the higher relief of Weinman's design creates stress concentrations in the die steel that eventually fracture under repeated striking pressure. The "01" suffix indicates this is the first (and currently only) spike head variety documented for the 1942 Philadelphia Mercury dime, a notable scarcity given the enormous mintage. Cross-reference data notes "none" as of March 29, 2018, the date this variety was cataloged, meaning no other attribution service had independently documented it at the time of listing. Mercury dime spike heads occupy a distinctive niche in die variety collecting because Weinman's design features the high-relief winged cap — a depiction of Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap with wings symbolizing freedom of thought — that provides both the visual prominence and the mechanical stress conditions that generate spike head varieties. Collectors searching for this variety should examine the top of Liberty's head and wing area under 10-15x magnification, looking for a raised metallic projection extending beyond the normal design contour, which distinguishes it from the intentional wing detail through its irregular shape and metallic luster.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Reza Buan
• Cross reference: none. 03/29/2018.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References