1987-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-010

Description

Carrying VarietyVista identifiers UVC-1022 and DMR-011, RPM-010 on the 1987-D Lincoln Memorial cent reaches double digits in the RPM census for this date — a tally that reflects both the enormous die population required for Denver's 4.0-billion-cent production run and the inherent imprecision of hand-applied mint mark punches. Each working die received its D mint mark through a separate manual operation, and even skilled die setters could not achieve perfect placement on every attempt. When an initial punch landed off-target, a corrective second blow was applied, and the vestige of the first impression became the repunched mint mark that collectors now seek. RPM-010 is documented across three die stages — early, mid, and late — without a specified displacement direction, indicating the secondary impression may be too close to the primary to resolve directionally, or the offset vector does not align with a standard compass reference. Ten RPM varieties from a single date-mint combination represents a robust sample of the hand-punching process's variability, and assembling the full thirteen-variety set provides a comprehensive study in how misalignment angles, depths, and corrections played out across Denver's die shop floor. Struck at Denver on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Die Markers

• UVC-1022
• DMR-011
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References