1898 Indian Head Cent Misplaced Date FS-402 Snow-5

Description

Cataloged as FS-402 in the Fivaz-Stanton cross-reference and Snow-5 in Rick Snow's attribution system, this 1898 Indian Head Cent displays a misplaced date variety where the digit 9 was initially punched into the lower denticles below its final position in the date. During the late 19th century, individual date digits were hand-punched into working dies using individual digit punches, and an errant first impression placed too low would leave a remnant visible in the denticle area even after the correct punch was applied at the proper position. This FS-402 variety is distinct from the FS-401 (Snow-4) variety on the same date, which shows the digit 8 misplaced below the second 8 in the date — two different dies, two different misplaced digits, both documenting the inherent imprecision of manual date placement. The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre and struck in a composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19 mm. The Philadelphia Mint produced 49,821,284 Indian Head Cents in 1898, a substantial mintage that nonetheless does not diminish the scarcity of specific die varieties like FS-402 which represent individual die events. Collectors examining potential specimens should focus on the denticle area directly below the 9 in the date under 7x to 10x magnification, looking for the remnant outline of the initial errant 9 impression partially hidden by the border denticles.

Attribution History

• FS-402, Snow-5