1883 Repunched Date WRPD-001

Description

Repunching to the south on the numeral 1 of the date distinguishes this 1883 Liberty Head Nickel variety, attributed by the Wexler Team and cross-referenced as Flynn NC RPD-003 (using Kevin Flynn's classification as RPD-001) and Wexler Variety ID 1883 5c V WRPD-001. The repunched date formed because date digits were individually punched into working dies by hand during this era, and when the 1 was struck a second time at a slightly different position — displaced to the south in this case — both impressions remained visible on the finished die. Obverse markers include a die crack through the bottom of the date, while the reverse is identified as the "No CENTS" variety. The 1883 "No CENTS" Liberty Head Nickel is one of the most famous coins in American numismatics — the first year of Charles Barber's design omitted the word CENTS from the reverse, and unscrupulous individuals gold-plated the new nickels and passed them as five-dollar gold pieces, leading the Mint to add CENTS partway through the year. A repunched date on the No CENTS variety combines two collecting specialties: die variety research and the historic first-type coinage that generated a national controversy. Repunched dates became obsolete after the Mint began incorporating date digits directly into master hubs rather than punching them into individual working dies.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Not noted Cross References: Flynn: NC RPD-001
• Flynn: NC RPD-001; Wexler Variety ID: 1883 5¢ V WRPD-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References