1951-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-011

Description

Identified by VarietyVista under die codes UVC-410 and DMR-016, this 1951-S Lincoln Wheat Cent carries an S/S repunched mintmark rotated counterclockwise — the secondary S punch was applied with a slight CCW rotation relative to the initial impression, producing a rotationally displaced shadow of the first S visible beneath the final mintmark. Die stage documentation records Stage A at early die state (EDS, unconfirmed), Stage B at mid-die-state with both obverse and reverse in MDS condition, and Stage C at late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). The San Francisco Mint applied its S mintmark to each working die individually during this era, using a hand-held punch and mallet technique that made slight positional variations between the first and second impressions virtually inevitable when correction was needed. Because the punch was rotated rather than simply shifted directionally, different portions of the secondary S show varying degrees of separation from the primary letter, creating a diagnostic pattern distinct from north-south or east-west RPM shifts. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse Lincoln portrait, and the wheat ears reverse served continuously from 1909 through 1958. The 1951-S cent was struck in bronze composition — 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc — weighing 3.11 grams at 19.05 mm diameter. The San Francisco Mint's 1951 cent production of approximately 136.0 million pieces created a substantial working die population, and RPM-011 represents one of multiple repunched mintmark varieties documented for this date-mint combination, each preserving a unique moment of human imprecision in the die preparation process.

Die Markers

• UVC-410
• DMR-016
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Harry Ellis
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References