1995 (P) Jefferson Nickel - SKH-5c-1995P-01 Spiked Head

Description

Establishing the baseline entry for spiked head documentation on the 1995 Philadelphia Mint Jefferson Nickel, this inaugural variety was recorded by Cuds on Coins on March 21, 2016. As the first cataloged spiked head for the 1995-P date, SKH-5c-1995P-01 represents the reference point against which all subsequent discoveries for this year are compared. The spiked head forms when a crack opens in the obverse die and runs from the rim into Jefferson's bust; metal fills the crack during striking, and subsequent strikes produce coins with a raised protrusion extending from Jefferson's portrait. The -01 sequence designation carries significance for collectors who pursue first-in-catalog varieties, as these initial entries represent the original documented specimen from which the date's spiked head catalog grows. The 1995 Philadelphia Mint produced Jefferson Nickels in the traditional cupro-nickel composition that had been standard since the conclusion of the wartime silver alloy program in 1945. No cross-references to other attribution systems exist for this variety. Three spiked heads would ultimately be documented for the 1995-P Jefferson Nickel, and this first entry anchors the sequence that the second and third varieties extend. The die crack mechanism is the same on every denomination; on the Jefferson Nickel, the spike is the point where the crack meets Jefferson's portrait.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 03/21/2016.

External References