1951-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-024

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with UVC-383 and DMR-030, this repunched mint mark on the 1951-D Lincoln Wheat Cent records one of twenty-four cataloged RPM varieties for this Denver Mint date. Each working die used at Denver required a hand-applied D mint mark punch, and slight positional shifts between successive impressions created the overlapping traces that define a repunched mint mark. Three die stages have been identified: Stage A at early die state is unconfirmed, Stage B shows the obverse at mid-die state with the reverse advancing to late die state, and Stage C in late die state remains unconfirmed. The progression from mid to late die state between obverse and reverse suggests the reverse die deteriorated faster — a common pattern on Lincoln Wheat Cents where the fine parallel lines of the wheat stalks acted as stress concentrators. The 1951-D cent was struck in the standard bronze alloy of 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc, the composition used throughout the Wheat Cent series except for the wartime years of 1943-1944. Victor David Brenner's wheat-ear reverse would continue in production for seven more years before giving way to the Lincoln Memorial design in 1959.

Die Markers

• UVC-383
• DMR-030
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Reverse is LDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References