Spiked head neat but not worth much

David Kell sent in an example of a “Spiked Head” die crack on a 2008-P Roosevelt dime. Spiked Heads are scarce on proofs, but are much more common on circulation strikes.

It’s one of those types of varieties that you know is minor but you take a look at it and say: “that’s neat, so I’ll keep it anyway.” Part of the reason it is so neat is because there is so much going on.

The longest die crack/die break combination begins way down about mid-way between the top of Roosevelt’s head and his ear. It then develops into a hinged retained die break where we can see Roosevelt’s hairlines within a long rectangular raised area, which at its north end butts up with a perpendicular die crack.

Independent of this is a small die chip on top of Roosevelt’s head from which a “Spiked Head” die crack extends to the rim. “Spiked Head” is one of the few slang error-variety terms left over from the 1960s.
Die cracks of this sort rarely affect the value of a coin unless found on a proof coin, but they can be fun to find and collect.

Ken Potter is the official attributer of world doubled dies for the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America and for the National Collectors Association of Die Doubling. More information on the clubs or how to get a coin listed in the Variety Coin Register may be obtained by sending a long, self-addressed envelope with 59 cents postage to P.O. Box 760232, Lathrup Village, MI 48076, or by contacting him via e-mail at KPotter256@aol.com. An educational image gallery may be viewed on his Web site at www.koinpro.com.