SKH-5c-2005D-01 Spiked Head

Description

Commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition's arrival at the Pacific Coast, the 2005 Ocean in View Jefferson Nickel features Joe Fitzgerald's reverse design inspired by Captain William Clark's journal entry "Ocian in view! O! The joy!" — and this Denver Mint example carries a spiked head variety on the obverse. Cataloged as SKH-5c-2005D-01, it is the first documented spiked head for the 2005-D Ocean in View issue, recording a die crack or gouge extending from Jefferson's portrait that produces a raised spike on struck coins. The 2005 Westward Journey Nickel series departed from the familiar Monticello reverse, with two special designs that year — the American Bison and the Ocean in View — as part of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial program. Denver Mint production consumed significant numbers of die pairs, and the special obverse portrait featured a different rendering of Jefferson, creating its own stress points for die crack development. Spiked heads on Westward Journey nickels are less commonly documented than their Lincoln Cent counterparts. No additional cross-references are listed.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Cooper Darwell
• Cross reference: none. 03/22/2016.
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References