1950-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-002

Description

Documented by VarietyVista, the 1950-D Lincoln Wheat Cent RPM-002 is cataloged as UVC-335 with die marker record DMR-003. Die stage progression documents three confirmed states with specific die deterioration markers: Stage A with both obverse and reverse in early die state (EDS), Stage B at mid-die-state with a die crack developing in Lincoln’s hair on the obverse and the reverse in MDS, and Stage C with both obverse and reverse in late die state (LDS). The progressive die crack in Lincoln’s hair appearing at Stage B provides a clear delineation between early and mid-die-state specimens, as the hair crack’s presence or absence immediately indicates whether a coin was struck before or after this structural failure point in the die’s life cycle. The 1950-D Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Denver Mint in 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse Lincoln portrait, and the wheat ears reverse was in its forty-second year of production. The 1950-D had a substantial mintage of approximately 334.9 million pieces. As RPM-002 for this date-mint, this variety holds the second catalog position, indicating it was among the earliest documented repunched mintmarks for the 1950-D cent. The repunched D mintmark resulted from the manual application process where each working die received its mintmark via individual hand-punching, with misalignment on the initial impression requiring a corrective second strike. The three-stage die state framework with all stages confirmed gives collectors a complete picture of the die’s production history, from fresh EDS surfaces through the hair crack at MDS to final LDS deterioration, enabling precise die state attribution for individual specimens.

Die Markers

• UVC-335
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Die crack in hair – MDS
• Reverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

External References