1970-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-012

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die tracking codes UVC-1726 and DMR-032, this 1970-S Proof Jefferson Nickel RPM-012 exhibits an S/S East repunched mintmark — sharing the same directional displacement as the RPM-013 from the same date but representing a distinct die with its own unique tracking number and die marker characteristics. Three die stages are recorded: Stage A shows both obverse and reverse in early die state (EDS); Stage B is mid-die-state (MDS, unconfirmed); and Stage C is late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). The proof production context places this coin among the specially manufactured collector issues from the San Francisco Mint, struck on polished planchets with polished dies to achieve mirror-like fields. The fact that multiple proof dies from the same date — RPM-012 and RPM-013 — both exhibit eastward repunched mintmarks suggests a systematic tendency in the mintmark application process at San Francisco for this date, where the engraver may have been consistently positioning the initial S punch slightly west of ideal, requiring eastward correction on multiple dies. The Jefferson Nickel was designed by Felix Schlag with the Jefferson portrait obverse and Monticello reverse, produced in copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) weighing 5.00 grams with a 21.21 mm diameter. The 1970-S proof set had a mintage of approximately 2.6 million sets. Distinguishing RPM-012 from RPM-013 requires examining the specific die markers unique to each — while both show eastward displacement, the UVC and DMR codes identify different working dies with different secondary characteristics that separate the two varieties when specimens are examined in detail under proper magnification.

Die Markers

• UVC-1726
• DMR-032
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References