1968-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-002

Description

Complementing the RPM-001's southward displacement, the 1968-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar RPM-002 shows the S mint mark punched north of its final position (S/S North), with traces of the initial punch visible above the accepted placement. The contrasting directions of RPM-001 (south) and RPM-002 (north) on the same date demonstrate that mint mark punching errors were random in nature — the engraver's hand could miss in any direction — rather than systematic biases in the positioning process. This proof variety was struck on the 40% silver clad composition used for Kennedy Half Dollars from 1965 through 1970, and proof specimens provide the ideal viewing conditions for repunched mint marks thanks to their mirror fields and precise strikes. As the second-ranked RPM for the 1968-S date, this variety is distinguished from RPM-001 by its northward displacement direction, which means collectors need to look above the final S for the ghost of the initial punch rather than below it. The 1968 date marks the return of the S mint mark to proof coinage after the mint-mark-free Special Mint Set era, and RPM varieties from this first year back document the re-establishment of hand-punching practices at the San Francisco Mint.

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