1863 Indian Head Cent Doubled Die Reverse FS-801 Snow-10

Description

Doubling in the laurel wreath distinguishes this 1863 Indian Head cent as FS-801 in the Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties (Fivaz-Stanton) and Snow-10 in Rick Snow's authoritative Indian Head cent reference — the two premier catalogs for this series. The doubled die arose when the working reverse die received a second misaligned hub impression, leaving visible doubling on every coin struck from that die. The 1863 Indian Head cent, struck in copper-nickel (88% copper, 12% nickel) by James Barton Longacre, was the last year of that alloy before Congress authorized the transition to bronze in April 1864. Civil War-era coin hoarding drove severe shortages, pushing the Mint to maximize die life well beyond normal practice — elevating the frequency of die deterioration and late-stage die crack events on 1861–1864 issues. This context makes 1863 a rewarding year for variety collectors, as dies were often pushed into late die states that would have been retired in peacetime. FS-801 and Snow-10 cross-references ensure recognition across major registry and grading platforms, making this one of the most securely documented doubled die reverses in the Indian Head cent series. Civil War-era hoarding meant dies were run far beyond normal use, producing an unusually high number of die breaks and deterioration errors.

Attribution History

• FS-801, Snow-10