1958-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-018

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with die identifiers UVC-605 and DMR-021, the 1958-D RPM-018 Lincoln Wheat Cent preserves a D/D mintmark rotated clockwise — a positional shift where the secondary D impression was punched with the punch turned slightly CW relative to the first strike, leaving a ghost of the original D visible at a rotated angle beneath the final placement. Three documented die stages track this die through its service life: Stage A in early die state (EDS, unconfirmed), Stage B in mid-die-state with both obverse and reverse at MDS, and Stage C in late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). The mintmark repunching occurred because in the 1950s each individual working die at the Denver Mint received its D mintmark by hand — a small steel letter punch was positioned over the die face and struck with a mallet, and if the first impression was misaligned or insufficiently deep, the engraver would reposition and strike again, creating the doubled mintmark impression that defines RPM varieties. The Lincoln Wheat Cent was designed by Victor David Brenner, whose portrait of Abraham Lincoln has appeared on the obverse since 1909. Struck in 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc at the Denver Mint, each 1958-D cent weighs 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. The 1958 date represents the final year of the wheat ears reverse design, which was replaced by Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse in 1959 — making 1958-D RPM varieties the last wheat cent repunched mintmarks in the series. Collectors should examine the mintmark area under 10x magnification, looking for the rotated secondary D impression that distinguishes RPM-018 from other 1958-D RPM varieties cataloged for this date.

Die Markers

• UVC-605
• DMR-021
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References