1903 Repunched Date WRPD-001

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team under the designation 1903 5c WRPD-001, this first documented repunched date for the 1903 Liberty Head Nickel records a date digit that was punched into the die more than once, with the initial impression visible as a secondary image offset from the final intended position. Repunched dates are a characteristic variety type of the pre-twentieth-century era when date digits were individually punched into each working die by hand using steel punches — a labor-intensive process susceptible to misalignment that was eventually eliminated when dates began to be included directly on the master hub. The Liberty Head Nickel, designed by Charles E. Barber and produced from 1883 through 1912, features Liberty wearing a coronet inscribed with the word LIBERTY on the obverse, with the date positioned below. The 1903 issue was struck during the middle years of the Liberty Head Nickel's thirty-year run, a period of stable production at the Philadelphia Mint. No additional cross-references beyond the Wexler system have been established for this variety. As WRPD-001, this holds the premier position among repunched dates documented for the 1903 Liberty Head Nickel, representing the most significant date punch anomaly identified on this issue. Repunched date varieties on Liberty Head Nickels are less commonly documented than on contemporary large cents or half dollars, making each confirmed WRPD listing a valuable addition to the die variety record for the Barber-era five-cent series. The Wexler Team's systematic examination of Liberty Head Nickels has expanded the known variety population for a series that historically received less die variety attention than more popular types.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Derek Hanson Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1903 5¢ WRPD-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References