1997 (P) Jefferson Nickel - SKH-5c-1997P-01 Spiked Head

Description

Opening the spiked head catalog for the 1997 Philadelphia Mint Jefferson Nickel, this first-in-sequence variety establishes the baseline spiked head documentation for the date. The spike begins as a crack in the obverse die that runs from the rim into Jefferson's bust. Subsequent coins struck from this cracked die display a raised spike extending from Jefferson's portrait, typically from the head or forehead area depending on the path the crack takes. The 1997-P fell within the final years before the State Quarters program launched in 1999, a period when nickel production at Philadelphia maintained steady volumes to supply commercial channels. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on March 20, 2016, just one day before the second spiked head for this date was documented, suggesting that both varieties were discovered during the same research session or examination of the same group of coins. The -01 designation gives this variety priority as the initial documented example, establishing the reference point for the 1997-P spiked head sequence. Felix Schlag's original Jefferson portrait, selected through a 1938 design competition, had been in continuous use for nearly sixty years by the time these 1997-P coins were struck, and the mature design's well-understood die characteristics made die-crack anomalies readily identifiable to experienced researchers.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 03/20/2016.

External References