1972-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-007

Description

Seventh repunched mintmark for the 1972-D Lincoln Memorial cent, RPM-007 shows a D/D North displacement — the secondary mintmark impression sitting above the primary D, sharing its directional classification with RPM-004 but originating from a distinct working die identified by UVC-970 and DMR-009. Three stages have been documented: Stage A in early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid-die state showing die scratches running north-south on the obverse paired with similarly oriented north-south die scratches on the reverse, and Stage C in late die state (unconfirmed). The parallel north-south die scratches appearing on both obverse and reverse at Stage B suggest a systematic surface marking event — possibly from polishing or maintenance procedures that introduced directional scratches simultaneously across both die faces while they were installed in the press. The obverse carries ODV-027b (MDO) classification without the die gouge in the upper S of TRUST, aligning it with the plain MDO variant that shows the master die doubling common to approximately 60-70% of all 1972 cent dies but lacks the additional identifying gouge. The northward displacement of the secondary D creates a vertical separation between primary and secondary mintmark images, with the upper serifs and crossbar of the letter D showing the most visible doubling where the two impressions fail to overlap. Among the nine documented RPMs for the 1972-D cent, two exhibit north displacement (RPM-004 and RPM-007), two show northwest and tilted orientations respectively, and the remainder display westward or southeast shifts — collectively documenting the full range of directional errors that hand-punching could introduce during this pre-mechanical era of mintmark application.

Die Markers

• UVC-970
• DMR-009
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die scratches North-South on Obverse – MDS
• Die scratches North-South on Reverse – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Al Raddi
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References