1863 Indian Head Cent Misplaced Date FS-302 Snow-20

Description

Carrying the dual attribution of FS-302 in the Cherrypickers' Guide and Snow-20 in the Snow reference, this 1863 Indian Head Cent misplaced date variety documents date digits punched into an unintended location on the obverse die before the final date was entered in the correct position. The ghost impression of one or more date digits — visible in the field or within a design element — is a remnant of the hand punching process at the Philadelphia Mint, where individual digit punches applied sequentially could leave traces that survived in the hardened steel. The 1863 Indian Head Cent holds a historically resonant position: it is the final year of the copper-nickel alloy composition before the Mint transitioned to bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) in mid-1864. Civil War hoarding caused small cents to vanish from circulation; vast quantities of 1863 cents were saved in rolls and bags, making the date relatively common in higher grades. Snow-20 integrates this variety into the comprehensive Indian Head Cent die study, while FS-302 ensures accessibility for cherrypickers working from mainstream reference guides. Civil War-era hoarding meant dies were run far beyond normal use, producing an unusually high number of die breaks and deterioration errors.

Attribution History

• FS-302, Snow-20