1971-D VRPM VRPM-011

Description

Classified as a VRPM — Very Repunched Mintmark — rather than a standard RPM, VRPM-011 on the 1971-D Lincoln Memorial cent documents a mintmark displacement so subtle that it falls below the threshold for full RPM designation in the VarietyVista system. The V prefix signals that the repunching requires higher magnification to resolve, distinguishing it from varieties where the secondary mintmark impression is readily visible under standard 5x to 10x examination. Bearing the directional classification D/D Tilted on an ODV-027 obverse die without the re-engraved bowtie, VRPM-011 carries unassigned UVC and DMR codes. Three die stages are documented. Stage A at Early Die State remains unconfirmed. Stage B records the obverse at Late-Mid Die State, suggesting the die saw considerable service. The reverse at Late Die State tells a striking story of structural deterioration: die cracks have developed on columns one, two, ten, eleven, and twelve of the Lincoln Memorial — five of the building's twelve columns showing fractures that mark the reverse die's progressive failure under the stress of continuous production. Stage C at Late Die State, unconfirmed, would document terminal condition. The pattern of column cracks across opposite ends of the Memorial facade — columns one and two on the left, ten through twelve on the right — indicates the reverse die experienced stress fractures propagating inward from both edges, a failure mode consistent with the high compressive forces concentrated at the die's periphery during striking. For collectors, VRPM-011's combination of a subtle mintmark variety with dramatic reverse die deterioration creates an interesting duality: the variety's defining feature requires careful magnified examination, while its most visually prominent characteristic — the multi-column die cracks — is immediately apparent on well-preserved specimens.

Die Markers

• UVC-????
• DMR-0??
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse is LMDS
• Die cracks on columns # 1, # 2, #10, #11, and #12 – LDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Alan Samuelman
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References