1901 Indian Head Cent Repunched Date FS-301 Snow-19

Description

Cross-referenced as FS-301 in the Cherrypickers' Guide and Snow-19 in the Snow attribution system, this 1901 Indian Head Cent repunched date variety exhibits a distinctive slanted repunching pattern where the first 1 was punched below its final position and the last 1 was punched above its final position. This opposing vertical displacement of the two 1 digits indicates the four-digit date logotype was tilted when first applied to the working die, creating a diagonal misalignment that was subsequently corrected to a level position with a second, properly oriented punch. James Barton Longacre's Indian Head design, featuring Liberty wearing a Native American feathered headdress, was struck on 95% copper and 5% tin-and-zinc planchets weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm at the Philadelphia Mint. The 1901 issue saw a substantial mintage of approximately 79.6 million pieces, representing the mature period of Indian Head Cent production when the Philadelphia Mint was the sole striking facility for this denomination. The FS-301 designation in the Cherrypickers' Guide confirms this variety's significance within the mainstream attribution hierarchy, while the Snow-19 cross-reference provides an independent cataloging in Rick Snow's comprehensive Indian Head Cent variety reference. Repunched dates on Indian Head Cents represent a category of die variety unique to the era when date logotypes were individually punched into working dies, a practice that inherently produced occasional misalignments as engravers positioned the multi-digit punch by hand. The tilted-then-corrected pattern on this variety is mechanically distinct from simple north-south or east-west displacement, requiring a rotational correction that left residual impressions visible on both terminal digits of the date.

Attribution History

• FS-301, Snow-19