diff --git a/trie/hasher.go b/trie/hasher.go
index 47c6dd8f9d..4b05f5a3ca 100644
--- a/trie/hasher.go
+++ b/trie/hasher.go
@@ -137,9 +137,6 @@ func (h *hasher) hashChildren(original node, db *Database) (node, node, error) {
 				return original, original, err
 			}
 		}
-		if collapsed.Val == nil {
-			collapsed.Val = valueNode(nil) // Ensure that nil children are encoded as empty strings.
-		}
 		return collapsed, cached, nil
 
 	case *fullNode:
@@ -152,14 +149,9 @@ func (h *hasher) hashChildren(original node, db *Database) (node, node, error) {
 				if err != nil {
 					return original, original, err
 				}
-			} else {
-				collapsed.Children[i] = valueNode(nil) // Ensure that nil children are encoded as empty strings.
 			}
 		}
 		cached.Children[16] = n.Children[16]
-		if collapsed.Children[16] == nil {
-			collapsed.Children[16] = valueNode(nil)
-		}
 		return collapsed, cached, nil
 
 	default:
@@ -214,12 +206,12 @@ func (h *hasher) store(n node, db *Database, force bool) (node, error) {
 		if h.onleaf != nil {
 			switch n := n.(type) {
 			case *shortNode:
-				if child, ok := n.Val.(valueNode); ok && child != nil {
+				if child, ok := n.Val.(valueNode); ok {
 					h.onleaf(child, hash)
 				}
 			case *fullNode:
 				for i := 0; i < 16; i++ {
-					if child, ok := n.Children[i].(valueNode); ok && child != nil {
+					if child, ok := n.Children[i].(valueNode); ok {
 						h.onleaf(child, hash)
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/trie/node.go b/trie/node.go
index 02815042c6..a06f1b3898 100644
--- a/trie/node.go
+++ b/trie/node.go
@@ -47,9 +47,22 @@ type (
 	valueNode []byte
 )
 
+// nilValueNode is used when collapsing internal trie nodes for hashing, since
+// unset children need to serialize correctly.
+var nilValueNode = valueNode(nil)
+
 // EncodeRLP encodes a full node into the consensus RLP format.
 func (n *fullNode) EncodeRLP(w io.Writer) error {
-	return rlp.Encode(w, n.Children)
+	var nodes [17]node
+
+	for i, child := range n.Children {
+		if child != nil {
+			nodes[i] = child
+		} else {
+			nodes[i] = nilValueNode
+		}
+	}
+	return rlp.Encode(w, nodes)
 }
 
 func (n *fullNode) copy() *fullNode   { copy := *n; return &copy }