SKH-10c-1953D-01 Spiked Head

Description

First documented spiked head die for the 1953-D Roosevelt dime in the Cuds on Coins catalog, SKH-10c-1953D-01 records the primary instance of a rim-to-portrait die crack on this Denver issue. The spiked head error type represents a specific subcategory of die crack where the fracture path extends from the coin's rim directly into the highest point of the portrait — in this case, the top of Roosevelt's head on Sinnock's dime design that debuted in 1946. Every coin struck after the crack forms carries a raised metallic spike connecting the rim to the head, because the crack in the die creates a channel that fills with metal under striking pressure, producing the characteristic fin on the finished coin. Denver's 1953 dime production of roughly 136.43 million pieces utilized the 90% silver alloy that would remain standard for another twelve years, until the Coinage Act of 1965 replaced it with copper-nickel clad composition. The die steel used at mid-century U.S. Mints was heat-treated tool steel capable of producing hundreds of thousands of strikes, but the repeated impact eventually initiated fatigue cracks at stress concentration points — and the junction between the rim recess and the portrait cavity was consistently the weakest location. As the "01" entry in the sequence, this die was the first of at least two (see also SKH-10c-1953D-02) to develop the spiked head pattern during the 1953-D production run. Identification requires examination of the area between approximately 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock on the obverse under at least 5x magnification. The raised spike should be consistent in position and morphology across multiple specimens from the same die, distinguishing it from random planchet flaws or post-strike damage that would appear in varying locations.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Clay Dible
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References