1893 Indian Head Cent Repunched Date FS-301 Snow-2

Description

Cataloged as FS-301 in the Cherrypickers' Guide and Snow-2 in the Rick Snow attribution system, this 1893 Indian Head Cent presents a repunched date variety where the digits 893 were originally punched east of the final date position, with the eastward shift visible upon examination while the 1 appears to have been correctly positioned on the first attempt. This selective repunching pattern — where three of four digits required correction while one was accurate from the start — reveals the mechanics of the date application process and suggests the date logotype may have been slightly rotated or the punch block partially misaligned when the first impression was made. Repunched dates from this era occurred during die preparation when the complete date logotype or individual punches were struck into the working die at a slightly incorrect position, then corrected with a second, properly placed impression. The 1893 Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc composition, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. The 1893 date had a mintage of approximately 46.6 million pieces. The Indian Head design features an allegorical figure of Liberty wearing a Native American headdress on the obverse and a wreath surrounding the denomination on the reverse. The dual FS-301 and Snow-2 cross-references verify this variety in two independent attribution catalogs used by Indian Head Cent specialists. Examination under 10x magnification focused on the digits 893 reveals the eastward displacement of the initial punch, with the degree of separation between primary and secondary impressions varying across the three affected digits based on their position relative to the misalignment vector.

Attribution History

• FS-301, Snow-2