SKH-25c-1999P-09(GA) Spiked Head

Description

Ninth documented spiked head on the 1999 Philadelphia Mint Georgia State Quarter, this variety extends the die clash catalog for one of the five inaugural State Quarter designs. Georgia was the fourth state to be honored in the 50 State Quarters program in 1999, and its distinctive reverse featured a peach, the state outline, and live oak branches — design elements that could transfer into the obverse die during a clash event and produce a raised spike on Washington's portrait. The State Quarters program (1999-2008) issued five unique reverse designs annually, and each design's specific relief characteristics influenced the appearance of any resulting spiked heads. Nine documented spiked heads for the 1999-P Georgia Quarter is a substantial count, reflecting both the enormous public interest in the State Quarters program and the high production volumes Philadelphia dedicated to each design. The obverse die bore John Flanagan's Washington portrait (modified by William Cousins in 1999), which remained common across all State Quarter reverses. SKH-25c-1999P-09(GA) was cataloged on December 9, 2021, by Cuds on Coins. State Quarter spiked heads represent an interesting die variety niche because the program's ten-year run with annually changing reverses means each design type produced its own distinctive spiked head characteristics, offering collectors the opportunity to compare how different reverse designs created different spike patterns during clash events. The Georgia Quarter was among the most widely collected during the program's initial year, when public enthusiasm was at its peak.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jason Coplin
• Cross reference: none. 12/09/2021.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References