1971-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-001

Description

Opening the 1971-S Lincoln Memorial cent repunched mintmark catalog, RPM-001 documents an S/S North displacement on a business strike die — meaning the initial mintmark punch landed slightly south of the intended position, requiring a corrective second punch that shifted the S northward and left traces of the first impression visible beneath or beside the final placement. Cataloged by VarietyVista with the universal variety code UVC-954 and die marriage record DMR-002, this variety progresses through multiple die states: Stage A is documented as EDS (Early Die State, unconfirmed), while Stage B shows die scratches running northeast on the obverse at MDS (Mid Die State) with the reverse in EMDS (Early-Mid Die State). Stage C reaches LDS (Late Die State, also unconfirmed). The obverse die variant is designated ODV-027, indicating the normal tie variant of Lincoln's bow tie — a classification that distinguishes it from the re-engraved tie variant (ODV-028) found on several other 1971-S RPMs. Prior to 1990, every mintmark on every U.S. coin die was applied individually by hand using a steel punch, and the inherent imprecision of this manual process generated repunched mintmarks whenever the first blow failed to seat the letter cleanly at the intended coordinates. For business strike 1971-S cents, the RPM entered general circulation, making surviving specimens subject to the attrition of commerce — a factor that gives well-preserved examples with clearly visible repunching additional collector value. RPM-001's S/S North orientation provides a straightforward attribution target: the remnant of the initial S punch appears as a shadow or partial letter form south of the final mintmark position.

Die Markers

• UVC-954
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die scratches Northeast on Obverse – MDS
• Reverse is EMDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Harry Ellis
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References