1970-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-005

Description

Bearing the directional qualifier "D/D Tilted," RPM-005 on the 1970-D Lincoln Memorial cent records an unusual angular displacement between the primary and secondary mintmark impressions — rather than a simple cardinal-direction shift (north, south, east, or west), the secondary D punch landed at a rotational angle relative to the first, producing a tilted ghost image that is visually distinctive under magnification. Cataloged under die markers UVC-938 and DMR-006, this variety progresses through three documented die stages. Stage A at Early Die State remains unconfirmed, while Stage B at Mid Die State is likewise unconfirmed — suggesting this variety may be scarce in well-documented examples. Stage C reveals the most diagnostic late-state evidence: die damage has developed between the D of GOD and the W of WE on the obverse, placing this surface at Late Die State, while the reverse shows characteristics of Early to Mid Die State. This asymmetric die wear — an obverse significantly more fatigued than its paired reverse — indicates the dies were not installed as a matched pair from the start, or that the obverse die was replaced at some point during the coin's production run. The tilted repunch direction distinguishes RPM-005 from the cardinal-direction varieties (northeast, south, north) found on other 1970-D RPM dies, making angular measurement a critical attribution tool.

Die Markers

• UVC-938
• DMR-006
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die damage between D of GOD and W of WE – LDS
• Reverse is EMDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Harry Ellis
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References