1982 (P) Jefferson Nickel - SKH-5c-1982P-01 Spiked Head

Description

Sole documented spiked head for the 1982 Philadelphia Mint Jefferson Nickel, this variety was recorded on August 6, 2020, by Cuds on Coins — making it a relatively recent addition to the Jefferson Nickel spiked head catalog despite the coin's nearly four-decade vintage. Philadelphia nickels had carried a P mintmark again since 1980; the wartime nickels of 1942-1945 were the first to carry it. Prior to this change, Philadelphia coins bore no mintmark, and the addition of the P created a new collecting distinction for the denomination. A single spiked head from the 1982-P could reflect either genuinely few cracked dies of this kind for this date or simply insufficient examination — many die varieties on common-date Jefferson Nickels await discovery as the coins sit unsearched in accumulations and bank holdings. The spike head is a die crack: a crack in the obverse die runs from the rim into Jefferson's bust, and the metal that fills it during striking produces a raised protrusion on Jefferson's portrait. No cross-references are known for SKH-5c-1982P-01, and its status as the only documented spiked head for its date makes it a potentially significant reference piece. The 1982 nickel was produced during a period of economic recession, and mintage figures reflected reduced demand for circulating coinage — conditions that may have influenced die pair consumption.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 08/06/2020.

External References