1888 Repunched Date WRPD-001

Description

Cataloged as the first documented repunched date for the 1888 Proof Liberty Head Nickel, WRPD-001 preserves evidence of the date digits being punched into the working die a second time at a slight offset from the original impression. Repunched dates were common in 19th-century coinage, when date numerals were individually impressed into each working die by hand — a process inherently susceptible to alignment errors. Attributed by the Wexler Team, the variety carries the cross-reference Wexler Variety ID: 1888 5¢ Pr WRPD-001. The 1888 Proof Liberty Head Nickel was struck at the Philadelphia Mint for annual proof sets sold to collectors. The Liberty Head design, introduced in 1883, had undergone revision in its first year when the original reverse lacking CENTS was exploited by gold-plating coins to pass as five-dollar gold pieces — the Racketeer Nickel scandal. By 1888, the corrected design with CENTS prominently displayed had been in production for five years. Proof repunched dates are notable because proof dies received more careful preparation, yet hand-punching still introduced alignment variation that creates repunching evidence.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ed Ashline Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1888 5¢ Pr WRPD-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References