SKH-10c-1952-01 Spike Head

Description

Recording the first identified spike head on the 1952 Roosevelt silver dime, SKH-10c-1952-01 was cataloged by the Cuds on Coins attribution service. The designation follows the standard naming convention: SKH for spike head, 10c for the dime denomination, 1952 for the date, and 01 indicating the first cataloged spike head for this issue. Spike head varieties on Roosevelt dimes develop when a die crack forms at the uppermost boundary of John R. Sinnock's presidential portrait, where the transition from the high-relief head to the lower surrounding field creates a stress concentration zone that is vulnerable to fracturing under repeated striking pressure. When the die steel cracks at this junction, planchet metal fills the resulting gap during striking, producing a raised metallic spike or projection that extends from the top of Roosevelt's head into the field above. Philadelphia struck approximately 99.04 million Roosevelt dimes in 1952, providing the production volume that subjected individual dies to the millions of striking cycles necessary to develop fatigue-related cracking. The silver composition (90% silver, 10% copper) of pre-1965 Roosevelt dimes creates a softer planchet material that flows more readily into die cracks compared to the clad composition adopted after 1964, potentially producing more prominent spike formations on silver issues. No cross-references from other attribution services are documented (noted as "Cross reference: none" with a catalog date of March 1, 2016). The first-cataloged status (01) may indicate either that 1952 dies were less prone to portrait-boundary cracking than some other dates, or that the date has received less intensive examination from die break specialists. Collectors can typically spot spike heads at low magnification by looking for an anomalous raised projection extending upward from Roosevelt's head, with the specific length and angle varying based on the individual die's fracture characteristics.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Cross reference: none. 03/01/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References