1983 (P) Washington Quarter - SKH-25c-1983P-01 Spiked Head

Description

Opening the spiked head catalog for the 1983 Philadelphia Mint Washington Quarter, this founding entry documents the first recorded die crack of this kind on a date that saw significant cent and quarter production at the Philadelphia facility. The 1983-P quarter holds particular numismatic distinction as part of the era when proof production shifted exclusively to the San Francisco Mint, leaving Philadelphia and Denver as the sole producers of circulation strikes. A spiked head materializes when a crack opens in the obverse die and runs from the rim into Washington's bust. Planchet metal fills the crack during striking, so it shows as a raised spike or projection from Washington's bust on subsequently struck coins. The precise location and angle of each spike follows the path its crack took across the die, making each documented entry unique. Cataloged on October 24, 2017, by Cuds on Coins, this variety carries no known cross-references to other attribution services. As the sole entry (-01) for 1983-P, it may represent either the only cracked die of this kind that has been examined for this date or simply the first to be formally reported, with additional examples potentially awaiting discovery among the millions of 1983-P quarters that remain in circulation and collections across the country.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 10/24/2017.

External References