SKH-10c-1995D-01 Spiked Head

Description

Only documented spiked head for the 1995 Denver Mint Roosevelt Dime, this variety stands as a rare example of die clash documentation on a Denver-struck dime — most cataloged Roosevelt Dime spiked heads originate from the Philadelphia Mint, making D-mint entries noteworthy additions to the die variety census. The spike forms through the same mechanism regardless of mint facility: the dies contact each other without a planchet between them, and elements of the torch reverse transfer into the obverse die, producing a raised protrusion on Roosevelt's portrait. Denver Mint dime production in 1995 generated hundreds of millions of coins on copper-nickel clad planchets, each die pair operating at high speed and subject to the occasional planchet feed failure that creates a clash event. The D mintmark on Roosevelt Dimes from this era was already incorporated into the master die through hubbing rather than hand-punched into individual working dies — a process change the Mint implemented in 1990 for dimes and 1989 for cents, eliminating repunched mintmarks as a variety category for post-transition dates. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with documentation dated March 20, 2016, SKH-10c-1995D-01 fills a specific gap in Denver Mint dime spiked head coverage, providing evidence that die clashes occurred at Denver with sufficient force to leave visible transferred detail on the coining dies.

Attribution History

• Discovered by JC Stevens
• Cross reference: none. 03/20/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References