1968-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-003

Description

Cataloged as the second repunched mint mark variety for the 1968-D Lincoln cent, RPM-002 is one of seven RPMs documented for this date — a count that reflects the inevitable imprecision of hand-punching mint marks into working dies, a process that resumed in 1968 after the three-year Coinage Act of 1965 hiatus. The restoration of mint marks to U.S. coinage in 1968 meant that each Denver Mint working die required the manual application of a D mint mark using a letter punch and mallet, and the slightest misalignment between the first and subsequent impressions would leave a telltale trace of the initial, incorrect position. RPM-002 carries die markers UVC-913 and DMR-003, with three die stages documented: Stage A in the early die state (EDS, unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state where both the obverse and reverse surfaces exhibit MDS characteristics, and Stage C at late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). The "unconfirmed" notation on Stages A and C indicates that specimens in those die states have not yet been positively identified or the stage attributions are based on limited examples — a common situation with variety research where the full range of die states may take years or decades to document as new specimens surface from circulation finds and collection dispersals. Attributed by VarietyVista. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc at the Denver Mint.

Die Markers

• UVC-914
• DMR-004
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References