1875 Indian Head Cent Repunched Date FS-301 Snow-1

Description

Cross-referenced as FS-301 and Snow-1 in the major attribution guides, this 1875 Indian Head cent features a Repunched Date where the digits 18 are repunched under the 18 in the date, showing a clear secondary impression below the final date position. This is the first of three attributed repunched date varieties known for the 1875 date, earning the Snow-1 primary position in Al-Azhar Snow's Indian Head cent variety reference. Repunched dates on Indian Head cents resulted from the hand-punching process used throughout the series' production, where each date digit was individually positioned into the working die using small steel logotype punches — a technique inherently susceptible to misalignment that occasionally required corrective re-punching to achieve proper placement. The downward displacement of the secondary 18 impression indicates the engraver initially set the date slightly too high and corrected by punching lower, leaving the ghost of the first attempt visible beneath the final position. The Fivaz-Stanton FS-301 designation in the Cherrypickers' Guide confirms this as a variety significant enough for inclusion in the standard cherry-picking reference used by variety collectors searching rolls and dealer inventories. The Indian Head cent, designed by James Barton Longacre, was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1875 in 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Longacre's obverse depicts Liberty wearing a Native American feathered headdress, while the reverse features an oak wreath with shield. The 1875 date falls during the Reconstruction era, and repunched dates from this period are among the most actively collected error types in the Indian Head cent series because the hand-punching methodology generated numerous diagnostic variations across the working die population.

Attribution History

• FS-301, Snow-1