1870 Indian Head Cent Misplaced Date and Doubled Die Reverse FS-302

Description

Cross-referenced as FS-302 in the Cherrypickers' Guide, this 1870 Indian Head Cent combines two distinct error types across both die faces: a Misplaced Date on the obverse and a Doubled Die Reverse. The Misplaced Date is visible as digit impressions punched into the lower denticles below the date — evidence of date punch applications that struck outside the intended position before the final correctly-placed date was applied. On the reverse, hub doubling appears on the E in CENT, providing a secondary attribution point on the opposite face of the coin. The dual-face error combination is particularly noteworthy because the misplaced date on the obverse and the doubled die on the reverse originate from different manufacturing processes: the misplaced date resulted from hand-punching of the date logotype into the obverse die, while the reverse doubling occurred during the separate hubbing process that created the reverse working die. The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre, featuring Liberty wearing a feathered headdress on the obverse and a wreath with shield on the reverse. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1870 in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) at 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, this coin belongs to the early post-Civil War era when Reconstruction policies shaped American economics and coinage production. The FS-302 designation distinguishes this variety from the FS-102 (Snow-5) doubled die obverse and misplaced date variety also known for the 1870 date, confirming these are distinct die pairs with different error combinations — FS-102 pairs a DDO with a misplaced date on the obverse, while FS-302 pairs a misplaced date obverse with a DDR, creating two different collecting targets for 1870 Indian Head specialists.

Attribution History

• FS-302