diff --git a/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaBlockState.java b/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaBlockState.java
index 32d461a312..d60686d624 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaBlockState.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaBlockState.java
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import com.google.common.base.Objects;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import net.minecraft.server.BlockJukeBox;
+import net.minecraft.server.NBTBase;
 import net.minecraft.server.NBTTagCompound;
 import net.minecraft.server.TileEntity;
 import net.minecraft.server.TileEntityBanner;
@@ -96,6 +97,20 @@ public class CraftMetaBlockState extends CraftMetaItem implements BlockStateMeta
         }
     }
 
+    @Override
+    void deserializeInternal(NBTTagCompound tag) {
+        if (tag.hasKeyOfType(BLOCK_ENTITY_TAG.NBT, 10)) {
+            blockEntityTag = tag.getCompound(BLOCK_ENTITY_TAG.NBT);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    void serializeInternal(final Map<String, NBTBase> internalTags) {
+        if (blockEntityTag != null) {
+            internalTags.put(BLOCK_ENTITY_TAG.NBT, blockEntityTag);
+        }
+    }
+
     @Override
     ImmutableMap.Builder<String, Object> serialize(ImmutableMap.Builder<String, Object> builder) {
         super.serialize(builder);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaItem.java b/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaItem.java
index 8b18e1f344..5f123e32dc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaItem.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaItem.java
@@ -376,16 +376,12 @@ class CraftMetaItem implements ItemMeta, Repairable {
             ByteArrayInputStream buf = new ByteArrayInputStream(Base64.decodeBase64(internal));
             try {
                 NBTTagCompound tag = NBTCompressedStreamTools.a(buf);
+                deserializeInternal(tag);
                 Set<String> keys = tag.c();
                 for (String key : keys) {
                     if (!getHandledTags().contains(key)) {
                         unhandledTags.put(key, tag.get(key));
                     }
-                    if (key.equals(CraftMetaBlockState.BLOCK_ENTITY_TAG.NBT) && this instanceof CraftMetaBlockState) {
-                        if (tag.hasKeyOfType(key, 10)) {
-                            ((CraftMetaBlockState) this).blockEntityTag = tag.getCompound(key);
-                        }
-                    }
                 }
             } catch (IOException ex) {
                 Logger.getLogger(CraftMetaItem.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
@@ -393,6 +389,9 @@ class CraftMetaItem implements ItemMeta, Repairable {
         }
     }
 
+    void deserializeInternal(NBTTagCompound tag) {
+    }
+
     static Map<Enchantment, Integer> buildEnchantments(Map<String, Object> map, ItemMetaKey key) {
         Map<?, ?> ench = SerializableMeta.getObject(Map.class, map, key.BUKKIT, true);
         if (ench == null) {
@@ -715,17 +714,13 @@ class CraftMetaItem implements ItemMeta, Repairable {
             builder.put(HIDEFLAGS.BUKKIT, hideFlags);
         }
 
-        if (!unhandledTags.isEmpty() || this instanceof CraftMetaBlockState) {
+        final Map<String, NBTBase> internalTags = new HashMap<String, NBTBase>(unhandledTags);
+        serializeInternal(internalTags);
+        if (!internalTags.isEmpty()) {
             NBTTagCompound internal = new NBTTagCompound();
-            for (Map.Entry<String, NBTBase> e : unhandledTags.entrySet()) {
+            for (Map.Entry<String, NBTBase> e : internalTags.entrySet()) {
                 internal.set(e.getKey(), e.getValue());
             }
-            if (this instanceof CraftMetaBlockState) {
-                CraftMetaBlockState bs = ((CraftMetaBlockState) this);
-                if (bs.blockEntityTag != null) {
-                    internal.set(CraftMetaBlockState.BLOCK_ENTITY_TAG.NBT, bs.blockEntityTag);
-                }
-            }
             try {
                 ByteArrayOutputStream buf = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
                 NBTCompressedStreamTools.a(internal, buf);
@@ -738,6 +733,9 @@ class CraftMetaItem implements ItemMeta, Repairable {
         return builder;
     }
 
+    void serializeInternal(final Map<String, NBTBase> unhandledTags) {
+    }
+
     static void serializeEnchantments(Map<Enchantment, Integer> enchantments, ImmutableMap.Builder<String, Object> builder, ItemMetaKey key) {
         if (enchantments == null || enchantments.isEmpty()) {
             return;
@@ -804,6 +802,7 @@ class CraftMetaItem implements ItemMeta, Repairable {
                         CraftMetaMap.MAP_SCALING.NBT,
                         CraftMetaPotion.POTION_EFFECTS.NBT,
                         CraftMetaSkull.SKULL_OWNER.NBT,
+                        CraftMetaSkull.SKULL_PROFILE.NBT,
                         CraftMetaBlockState.BLOCK_ENTITY_TAG.NBT,
                         CraftMetaBook.BOOK_TITLE.NBT,
                         CraftMetaBook.BOOK_AUTHOR.NBT,
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaSkull.java b/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaSkull.java
index 89912bcf5f..ead8a98c93 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaSkull.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/bukkit/craftbukkit/inventory/CraftMetaSkull.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package org.bukkit.craftbukkit.inventory;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 import net.minecraft.server.GameProfileSerializer;
+import net.minecraft.server.NBTBase;
 import net.minecraft.server.NBTTagCompound;
 
 import org.bukkit.Material;
@@ -15,6 +16,10 @@ import com.mojang.authlib.GameProfile;
 
 @DelegateDeserialization(SerializableMeta.class)
 class CraftMetaSkull extends CraftMetaItem implements SkullMeta {
+
+    @ItemMetaKey.Specific(ItemMetaKey.Specific.To.NBT)
+    static final ItemMetaKey SKULL_PROFILE = new ItemMetaKey("SkullProfile");
+
     static final ItemMetaKey SKULL_OWNER = new ItemMetaKey("SkullOwner", "skull-owner");
     static final int MAX_OWNER_LENGTH = 16;
 
@@ -41,7 +46,25 @@ class CraftMetaSkull extends CraftMetaItem implements SkullMeta {
 
     CraftMetaSkull(Map<String, Object> map) {
         super(map);
-        setOwner(SerializableMeta.getString(map, SKULL_OWNER.BUKKIT, true));
+        if (profile == null) {
+            setOwner(SerializableMeta.getString(map, SKULL_OWNER.BUKKIT, true));
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    void deserializeInternal(NBTTagCompound tag) {
+        if (tag.hasKeyOfType(SKULL_PROFILE.NBT, 10)) {
+            profile = GameProfileSerializer.deserialize(tag.getCompound(SKULL_PROFILE.NBT));
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    void serializeInternal(final Map<String, NBTBase> internalTags) {
+        if (profile != null) {
+            NBTTagCompound nbtData = new NBTTagCompound();
+            GameProfileSerializer.serialize(nbtData, profile);
+            internalTags.put(SKULL_PROFILE.NBT, nbtData);
+        }
     }
 
     @Override