1952-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-004

Description

Listed by VarietyVista with die identifiers UVC-414 and DMR-005, the 1952-D RPM-004 is a repunched mintmark variety on the Lincoln Wheat Cent produced at the Denver Mint. While no specific directional shift is noted in the comments for this variety, the repunching is documented through three die states: Stage A at early die state (EDS, unconfirmed), Stage B with both obverse and reverse confirmed at mid-die-state (MDS), and Stage C at late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). The confirmed MDS status for Stage B establishes that authenticated specimens exist at the intermediate wear stage, providing collectors with a baseline reference point for die condition comparison. Repunched mintmark varieties on 1952-D cents document the manual mintmark application process at the Denver Mint during the early Cold War era, when a steel punch bearing the letter D was hammered into each working die face by hand. If the first impression was misaligned, insufficiently deep, or improperly positioned, the engraver would reposition the punch and strike again, leaving diagnostic traces of both impressions on every coin subsequently struck from that die. The 1952-D Lincoln Wheat Cent was manufactured in the standard bronze alloy of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln paired with the wheat ears reverse design. The Denver Mint struck approximately 746.1 million cents in 1952, its highest cent production to that date, requiring a large inventory of working dies and correspondingly more opportunities for the kind of mintmark positioning errors that create RPM varieties.

Die Markers

• UVC-414
• DMR-005
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References