1904 Indian Head Cent Repunched Date FS-301 Snow-10

Description

Designated FS-301 in the Cherrypickers' Guide and Snow-10 in Rick Snow's reference, this 1904 Indian Head Cent features a repunched date variety with a visually distinctive rotational characteristic. The first date punch was applied at an upward slant pivoting around the 9, creating a see-saw effect where the early digits are displaced downward and the later digits upward relative to the final date position — the original punch is visible below the 1 and above the 04, forming a diagonal displacement pattern that reveals the angular error in the initial punch application. This rotational repunching differs from simple lateral or vertical displacement RPDs because the pivot point at the 9 creates opposing displacements on either side: digits to the left of the pivot appear shifted in one direction while digits to the right shift in the opposite direction, producing the characteristic see-saw visual described in the attribution literature. The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre with Liberty wearing a feathered headdress on the obverse and an oak wreath with shield on the reverse (the post-1860 design). Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1904 in bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) at 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, the 1904 date falls in the final years of the Indian Head series, which would be replaced by Victor David Brenner's Lincoln Cent in 1909. Manual date punching during this era required the engraver to strike a four-digit date logotype into each working die, and the pivoted misalignment documented on FS-301 records a moment where the punch was angled rather than level at initial contact, creating one of the more visually interesting repunched date varieties for the year.

Attribution History

• FS-301, Snow-10