1870 Indian Head Cent Doubled Die Obverse and Misplaced Date FS-102 Snow-5

Description

Cross-referenced as FS-102 in the Fivaz-Stanton Cherrypickers' Guide and Snow-5 in Rick Snow's definitive Indian Head Cent die variety reference, this 1870 Indian Head Cent combines two distinct die errors on the same obverse: a Doubled Die Obverse and a Misplaced Date. The doubling manifests on the feathers, neck, and chin of the Indian portrait — key facial features where even subtle hub displacement becomes visible because the fine engraving detail provides sharp reference edges against which secondary impressions can be detected. The Misplaced Date component appears as a circular digit impression punched into the lower denticles below the 7 in the date, documenting an errant date punch that struck outside the intended position before the final date was correctly placed. This dual-error combination on a single die is particularly significant because it records two separate manufacturing anomalies: the hub doubling occurred during the die production hubbing process, while the misplaced date resulted from the subsequent hand-punching of the date logotype. The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre, featuring Liberty in a Native American feathered headdress. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1870 in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, the 1870 date sits within the post-Civil War reconstruction era of American coinage. The dual FS-102 and Snow-5 cross-references confirm this as a widely recognized variety across multiple attribution systems, and the visible circular digit in the denticles below the 7 provides an accessible diagnostic that can be spotted under moderate magnification even by collectors new to Indian Head Cent variety attribution.

Attribution History

• FS-102, Snow-5