1995 (P) Jefferson Nickel - SKH-5c-1995P-03 Spiked Head

Description

While the famous doubled die appeared on cents rather than nickels, the wave of collector attention that swept across all 1995-dated coinage ensured that nickels from this year received more thorough examination than typical dates. Three spiked heads from the 1995-P nickel production is a modest count, but the documentation benefits from heightened collector awareness. The spike head on a Jefferson Nickel forms when a crack in the obverse die runs from the rim into Jefferson's bust and fills with metal during striking, creating a raised protrusion on Jefferson's portrait. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no known cross-references, SKH-5c-1995P-03 is distinguished from the other two documented 1995-P spiked heads by the precise characteristics of its spike. The 1995 Jefferson Nickel continued the original Schlag design that had been in service since 1938. Philadelphia Mint nickel production in the mid-1990s maintained consistent volumes, and some of the die pairs consumed across the year's run cracked in the way that produces spiked head varieties. The three 1995-P Jefferson spiked heads exist as quieter companions to the headline-making cent error that defined the year.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 03/22/2016.

External References