1903 Indian Head Cent Repunched Date FS-304 Snow-3

Description

Attributed as FS-304 and Snow-3, this 1903 Indian Head Cent repunched date variety shows the entire original date punch positioned southeast of the final placement. The consistent southeast displacement across all four digits indicates the full date logotype was repunched as a complete unit rather than individual digits being repositioned separately — confirming a single corrective blow shifted the entire date. James Barton Longacre's Indian Head Cent, properly the Indian Princess Head depicting Liberty wearing a Native American headdress, was struck in bronze composed of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc from 1864 through 1909. The 1903 date has multiple repunched date varieties, with FS-303 representing a separate die and displacement pattern. Repunched dates on Indian Head Cents result from the hand-punching process used to apply date logotypes to working dies, where initial placement required correction through a second, more precisely positioned blow. The Snow numbering system, developed by Rick Snow in his comprehensive reference, provides the standard catalog framework for these varieties.

Attribution History

• FS-304, Snow-3