1883 Indian Head Cent Misplaced Date FS-301 Snow-8

Description

Listed in the Cherrypickers' Guide as FS-301 and in the Snow reference as Snow-8, this 1883 Indian Head Cent exhibits a misplaced date variety in which partial impressions of the digits 83 appear punched into the lower denticles, positioned slightly left of the 83 in the final date placement. Misplaced dates on Indian Head Cents occurred during die preparation when the four-digit date logotype was struck into the working die at an incorrect position before being corrected to its final location. The initial impression left behind in the denticle area was not fully obliterated by subsequent die finishing, preserving evidence of the error in the finished coins. James Barton Longacre's Indian Head design had been in production since 1859, and by 1883 the Philadelphia Mint was the sole production facility for cents. The composition at this date was 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, the bronze alloy adopted in 1864. Misplaced date varieties are actively pursued by Indian Head Cent specialists, and the FS-301 Cherrypickers listing confirms this variety's significance within the series. The dual reference numbering under both the Fivaz-Stanton and Snow systems provides collectors with cross-referencing capability across the major attribution guides.

Attribution History

• FS-301, Snow-8