What is a Spiked Head?

A Spiked Head (SKH) is a coin variety in the "Die Damage Family" group. It results from an anomaly during die wear or physical damage at the United States Mint. Coins exhibiting this error carry distinct diagnostic markers that distinguish them from normal strikes and are actively collected by error and variety specialists.

How does a Spiked Head occur?

A Spiked Head occurs due to physical damage, stress fractures, or progressive wear on the die surface during production runs. Once the affected die enters a production run, every coin it strikes carries the same diagnostic markers until the die is retired or replaced.

How do I identify a Spiked Head?

Examine the coin for raised lines, lumps, or missing design elements that correspond to damage on the die. These features appear in the same location on every coin struck by that die. For confirmed Spiked Head varieties, cross-reference the coin against the NumisDex catalog entry which lists known die markers and attribution details.

Are Spiked Head coins valuable?

Value depends on the specific die variety, the prominence of the error, the coin's grade, and collector demand. Some Spiked Head varieties are common and modestly priced, while others — especially early die states or dramatic examples — can command significant premiums. Check recent auction records and price guides for the specific variety.

Where can I find Spiked Head varieties in the NumisDex catalog?

You can browse all known Spiked Head varieties on NumisDex by visiting the catalog and filtering by the "Spiked Head" error type. Each listing includes attribution details, die markers, and images when available.

Spiked Head (SKH)

A spiked head is a die crack that runs from the rim into the portrait, so that on struck coins a raised line appears to project from the bust like a spike or horn. Cuds on Coins, which catalogues the type under the code SKH, defines it as an obverse die crack from the rim into any portion of the bust, and limits it to the obverse. The name is most familiar from Lincoln cents, but Cuds on Coins lists spike heads on U.S. half dimes, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars as well, and on world coins.

How Does It Happen?

The spiked head forms through the same die crack mechanism that produces all die cracks; its appearance comes from the crack's location:

Crack formation: Dies fail by fatigue. A crack opens in the die between the rim and the portrait.
Spike formation: As the crack opens, planchet metal fills it during striking, producing a raised line. Because the line runs across the field and meets the bust, it reads on the coin as a spike projecting from the head or bust.
Continued production: The die remains in service with the crack, so every coin it strikes afterwards carries the spike. Coins from later in the die's life can show the crack longer or wider than coins struck earlier.

Cracks elsewhere on the obverse that do not run from the rim into the bust are classified as ordinary die cracks.

How to Identify a Spiked Head

Spiked head coins have clear diagnostic features:

Spike location: The raised line connects the rim and the bust. A die crack in the field that does not reach the portrait is not a spiked head.
Raised profile: The spike is raised above the coin's field, consistent with metal filling a die crack. An incuse line (scratched into the coin) is post-strike damage.
Obverse only: Under the Cuds on Coins definition, the crack must be on the obverse.
Length and strength: Spikes range from fine lines to bold, wide cracks. A loupe helps confirm that a fine line is raised and continuous.
Associated cracking: Spiked head dies may show additional die cracks elsewhere on the obverse or reverse; Cuds on Coins records these as die markers alongside each listing.
Not only Lincoln cents: The term is applied to any denomination with a bust on the obverse.

Notable Examples

Lincoln Cent Spike Heads

Cuds on Coins lists Lincoln cent spike heads decade by decade from 1909 to the present. Many of its Wheat-era listings carry a cross-reference number to the Cohen Index.

Other U.S. Denominations

The same catalogue has separate spike head listings for half dimes (1794-1853), Buffalo and Jefferson nickels, Mercury and Roosevelt dimes, Washington quarters (both 1932-1998 and the statehood, territories and parks issues), half dollars and dollars.

World Coins

Spike heads also occur on foreign coins with portrait obverses, and Cuds on Coins keeps a separate world-coin listing.

Collecting Tips

Date set potential: Like BIE errors, spiked heads can be collected as a date set — one example from each year available. Because spiked heads appear across the full span of Lincoln cent production, this is a long-term project with many dates to pursue.
Record the die markers: Cuds on Coins identifies each spike head die by the path of the crack and any other cracks or chips on the coin. Noting these lets you match a coin to a listed die or show that it is a new one.
Cherry-picking: Examining coins under magnification, specifically checking the field between the rim and the bust, is a practical way to find them.
Complementary collecting: Many collectors pursue spiked heads alongside BIE errors, as both are Lincoln cent die-damage varieties that can be found through the same examination process.
Circulation finds: Because a cracked die keeps striking until it is retired, spiked heads can turn up in circulation and in rolls as well as in mint products.

Spiked Head