SKH-25c-1998P-09 Spiked Head

Description

Combining two independent error types on a single coin, this ninth spiked head for the 1998 Philadelphia Washington Quarter was also struck with a frozen or partial collar — making it a dual-error variety. A partial collar strike occurs when the collar die, which forms the coin's edge and applies reeding, fails to fully engage during striking. The result is a coin that spreads beyond its normal diameter on the side where the collar was absent or retracted, producing a visible lip where the uncontained metal flowed outward. Paired with the spiked head — a die chip near Washington's portrait creating a spike-like projection — this variety documents two simultaneous production anomalies: a die-surface defect and a striking-apparatus malfunction. Dual-error coins are considerably scarcer than single-error specimens because they require two independent failures to coincide during production. As the ninth spiked head cataloged for 1998-P, this variety stands apart from the other eight by virtue of its collar error component. Cataloged as SKH-25c-1998P-09 by Cuds on Coins, the combination of portrait damage and striking irregularity elevates this variety well beyond a routine spiked head.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeff Ylitalo
• Cross reference: none. 01/27/2021.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References