1875 Indian Head Cent Dot Cent FS-801 Snow-16

Description

This 1875 Indian Head cent is the famous "Dot Cent" variety, designated FS-801, Snow-16. A small but unmistakable raised dot appears near the upper-left corner of the N in ONE on the reverse. What makes this variety truly remarkable is its origin story: the dot was intentionally placed on the die by the Philadelphia Mint to catch a suspected thief. In 1875, a 76-year-old Mint employee named George Mitchell, who had worked at the Mint for over 50 years as a "helper," was suspected of stealing newly struck coins from the press room. Rather than confront Mitchell directly, Coiner Archibald Loudon Snowden authorized an ingenious solution. Die sinker A.W. Downing was instructed to modify a single reverse die with a small dot, and that marked die was placed on only one press. Mitchell was directed to oversee that specific press when he arrived early one morning. After the marked coins were struck, Mitchell was found with the identifiable Dot Cent specimens in his possession. He was suspended and subsequently resigned from the Mint at age 76. No official mintage records exist for how many Dot Cents were produced, but only a few dozen specimens are known to survive today, making this one of the rarest and most storied varieties in the Indian Head cent series.

Attribution History

• FS-801, Snow-16