1906 Indian Head Cent Repunched Date FS-301 Snow-7

Description

Cross-referenced as FS-301 and Snow-7, this 1906 Indian Head Cent displays a Repunched Date variety where the original 906 was punched south of the final date position. The Indian Head Cent, designed by James Barton Longacre, was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams at 19.05 mm diameter. On most examples of this variety, only the repunching on the 06 digits is visible due to die wear or die lapping — a maintenance process where the die face is ground to remove imperfections, which can progressively erase lighter impressions. The southward displacement of the original digits below the final date is the key diagnostic for attribution. On well-preserved examples with minimal die lapping, remnants of the 9 may also be visible south of its final position, though such specimens are the exception rather than the rule. The 1906 Indian Head Cent had a mintage of 96,022,255, making the base date extremely common, but the FS-301 variety from a single die pair is considerably scarcer. The Snow-7 designation places this as the seventh variety cataloged by Rick Snow in his comprehensive Indian Head Cent reference work.

Attribution History

• FS-301, Snow-7