1997 (P) Jefferson Nickel - SKH-5c-1997P-02 Spiked Head

Description

Recorded as the second spiked head for the 1997 Philadelphia Mint Jefferson Nickel, SKH-5c-1997P-02 captures a die crack from the penultimate decade of the original Jefferson design's production run. The spiked head on nickels is the same die crack found on all denominations: a fracture in the obverse die runs from the rim into the bust, and metal filling it creates a raised protrusion on Jefferson's portrait in subsequent coins. The 1997-P nickel was struck without a mint mark, following the Philadelphia Mint's longstanding convention that persisted until 1980 for most denominations but was maintained throughout the original Jefferson series for five-cent pieces. Nickel production in the late 1990s consumed substantial numbers of die pairs annually. Two spiked heads documented for 1997-P suggests that at least two separate obverse dies cracked into the bust during the year. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins on March 21, 2016, this variety carries no known cross-references to other attribution systems.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 03/21/2016.

External References