diff --git a/eth/protocols/eth/handler_test.go b/eth/protocols/eth/handler_test.go
index 36f5e90c9a..bbbd888701 100644
--- a/eth/protocols/eth/handler_test.go
+++ b/eth/protocols/eth/handler_test.go
@@ -297,6 +297,34 @@ func testGetBlockHeaders(t *testing.T, protocol uint) {
 				backend.chain.GetBlockByNumber(0).Hash(),
 			},
 		},
+		// Check a corner case where skipping causes overflow with reverse=false
+		{
+			&GetBlockHeadersRequest{Origin: HashOrNumber{Number: 1}, Amount: 2, Reverse: false, Skip: math.MaxUint64 - 1},
+			[]common.Hash{
+				backend.chain.GetBlockByNumber(1).Hash(),
+			},
+		},
+		// Check a corner case where skipping causes overflow with reverse=true
+		{
+			&GetBlockHeadersRequest{Origin: HashOrNumber{Number: 1}, Amount: 2, Reverse: true, Skip: math.MaxUint64 - 1},
+			[]common.Hash{
+				backend.chain.GetBlockByNumber(1).Hash(),
+			},
+		},
+		// Check another corner case where skipping causes overflow with reverse=false
+		{
+			&GetBlockHeadersRequest{Origin: HashOrNumber{Number: 1}, Amount: 2, Reverse: false, Skip: math.MaxUint64},
+			[]common.Hash{
+				backend.chain.GetBlockByNumber(1).Hash(),
+			},
+		},
+		// Check another corner case where skipping causes overflow with reverse=true
+		{
+			&GetBlockHeadersRequest{Origin: HashOrNumber{Number: 1}, Amount: 2, Reverse: true, Skip: math.MaxUint64},
+			[]common.Hash{
+				backend.chain.GetBlockByNumber(1).Hash(),
+			},
+		},
 		// Check a corner case where skipping overflow loops back into the chain start
 		{
 			&GetBlockHeadersRequest{Origin: HashOrNumber{Hash: backend.chain.GetBlockByNumber(3).Hash()}, Amount: 2, Reverse: false, Skip: math.MaxUint64 - 1},
diff --git a/eth/protocols/eth/handlers.go b/eth/protocols/eth/handlers.go
index ab56be7ffc..fda650da1c 100644
--- a/eth/protocols/eth/handlers.go
+++ b/eth/protocols/eth/handlers.go
@@ -128,15 +128,22 @@ func serviceNonContiguousBlockHeaderQuery(chain *core.BlockChain, query *GetBloc
 			}
 		case query.Reverse:
 			// Number based traversal towards the genesis block
-			if query.Origin.Number >= query.Skip+1 {
-				query.Origin.Number -= query.Skip + 1
-			} else {
+			current := query.Origin.Number
+			ancestor := current - (query.Skip + 1)
+			if ancestor >= current { // check for underflow
 				unknown = true
+			} else {
+				query.Origin.Number = ancestor
 			}
 
 		case !query.Reverse:
-			// Number based traversal towards the leaf block
-			query.Origin.Number += query.Skip + 1
+			current := query.Origin.Number
+			next := current + query.Skip + 1
+			if next <= current { // check for overflow
+				unknown = true
+			} else {
+				query.Origin.Number = next
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return headers