1989-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-001

Description

Bearing VarietyVista reference codes UVC-1029 and DMR-002, the 1989-D RPM-001 is a D/D Southeast repunched mintmark — the Denver mint mark was punched into the working die at least twice, with the second impression landing southeast of the first, creating a visible secondary image of the D offset in that direction. Three die stages are documented: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid-die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C with both obverse and reverse at late die state, tracking the die's progression from fresh production through advanced wear. Repunched mintmarks are exclusive to the era of hand-punched mint marks, when Mint employees physically hammered individual letter punches into each working die to apply the mint mark. This manual process inherently allowed for positional variation — if the punch was not placed precisely on the first blow, a second strike was needed, and any offset between the two impressions created the telltale doubled mint mark that defines an RPM variety. The 1989-D cent is one of the final dates to carry hand-punched mint marks, as the U.S. Mint transitioned to including the mint mark directly in the master die beginning in 1990, permanently eliminating RPM varieties from future production. Struck on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Die Markers

• UVC-1029
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Michael L. Ellis
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References