1968-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-002

Description

Second documented repunched mintmark on the 1968-S Proof Washington Quarter, RPM-002 exhibits an S/S South orientation — the initial S mintmark punch was positioned slightly north of its final location, and the corrective second impression shifted southward, leaving traces of the first punch visible above the final mintmark position. The reverse is identified as RDV-007, matching the reverse die variety designation of the related RPM-001 for this date, which suggests both repunched mintmark varieties may share reverse die characteristics while differing in their obverse mintmark placement. The 1968-S proof quarter was struck during the first year of proof production at the San Francisco Mint following the three-year suspension (1965-1967) imposed during the coin shortage. This resumption of proof coining reintroduced the S mintmark to proof quarters for the first time since the 1955-S proof production era, and die preparation procedures at San Francisco — including the hand-punching of mintmarks — may have been less routine after the hiatus, potentially contributing to the repunched mintmark occurrences. Repunched mintmarks are a product of the pre-1990 manufacturing process where each working die received its mintmark individually from a hand-held steel punch. The S/S South designation means the second punch impression is south (lower) relative to the first, and collectors examining this variety should look for remnants of the initial S impression protruding above the final mintmark position. Two documented RPMs for 1968-S proof quarters provide variety collectors with a small but significant catalog of mintmark anomalies from this transitional year in proof production history.

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