1968 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent - Repunched Mintmark RPM-002

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with die identifier UVC-913 and die marker reference DMR-003, the 1968-D RPM-002 documents a repunched mintmark on a Lincoln Memorial Cent from the Denver Mint. The repunching occurred when the small steel D mintmark punch was struck into the working die a second time at a slightly different position, leaving visible traces of the initial impression alongside the corrected final placement. Three die stages are documented: Stage A in early die state (EDS), though unconfirmed; Stage B with both obverse and reverse in mid-die-state (MDS); and Stage C in late die state (LDS), also unconfirmed. The confirmed MDS documentation for Stage B establishes that the die pair saw significant production use, as mid-die-state specimens display moderate wear characteristics on the die surfaces without the severe deterioration of late-state strikes. The 1968-D Lincoln Memorial Cent was struck at the Denver Mint in the 95% copper, 5% zinc alloy used since 1962, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter; copper-plated zinc replaced that alloy in 1982. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln, while Frank Gasparro created the Lincoln Memorial reverse that had been in use since 1959. By 1968, the Denver Mint was producing hundreds of millions of cents annually, and the manual mintmark application process — where an engraver hand-punched each D into individual working dies — created inherent opportunities for positional variation. The RPM-002 designation indicates this was the second cataloged repunched mintmark variety for the 1968-D date, suggesting it was among the earlier documented varieties for this issue.

Die Markers

• UVC-913
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References