1865 Indian Head Cent (Plain 5) Repunched Date FS-301 Snow-1

Description

Cross-referenced as FS-301 in the Cherrypickers' Guide and Snow-1 in Rick Snow's reference — the -1 Snow number indicating this is the primary or most significant die variety for its error type within the date — this 1865 Indian Head Cent Plain 5 variety displays visible repunching below the 18 in the date. The repunched date occurred during manual die preparation when the four-digit date logotype was struck into the working die: the initial punch landed slightly too high, and the corrective second strike left remnants of the first impression visible below the final position of the 1 and 8. The "Plain 5" designation distinguishes this from the Fancy 5 variety of the same year — the 1865 Plain 5 features a shorter, simpler numeral 5 with minimal serifs, while the Fancy 5 displays a taller, more ornate digit with pronounced decorative elements, and these two sub-varieties use different date logotypes, making them collectible as separate issues. The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1865 — the final year of the Civil War — in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. The 1865 date falls in the transitional period when the bronze Indian Head Cent had recently been standardized (the alloy change from copper-nickel to bronze occurred in 1864), and this early bronze production era required new die preparation procedures. The dual FS-301 and Snow-1 attributions in two independent catalog systems confirm this as the recognized primary repunched date variety for the 1865 Plain 5 date.

Attribution History

• FS-301, Snow-1