1997 (P) Jefferson Nickel - SKH-5c-1997P-03 Spiked Head

Description

Third spiked head variety cataloged for the 1997 Philadelphia Mint Jefferson Nickel, this entry was first documented on March 24, 2016, by Cuds on Coins. Spiked heads on Jefferson Nickels form the same way as on all denominations: a crack in the obverse die runs from the rim into the bust and fills with metal during striking, leaving a raised mark that appears as a spike or horn on Jefferson's head in subsequent strikes. Three documented spiked heads for the 1997-P places this date within the typical range for Jefferson Nickel spiked head documentation, reflecting both the scale of Philadelphia's nickel production and the level of systematic searching applied to coins from this era. The 1997-P Jefferson Nickel emerged from a decade when nickel demand remained steady and production practices at the Philadelphia Mint had been refined over nearly six decades of continuous Schlag-design output. Each spiked head in the 1997-P catalog is identified by its unique positional characteristics on Jefferson's portrait, and three entries indicate at least three separate obverse dies cracked this way during the year's run. The absence of cross-references to other cataloging systems reflects the specialized nature of spiked head documentation, which is primarily maintained through the Cuds on Coins database. Jefferson Nickel spiked heads from the 1990s remain available to collectors searching through bank-wrapped rolls and accumulations, though the increasing age of these coins gradually reduces the available unsearched population.

Cross References

• Cross reference: none. 03/24/2016.

External References