1971-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-001

Description

Designated RPM-001 for the 1971-D Kennedy Half Dollar, this variety documents a D/D West repunched mintmark — the primary listing in the RPM series for this date. During this era, individual letter punches were used to apply mintmarks to working dies by hand, a process inherently susceptible to slight misalignment between successive impressions. The westward displacement of the secondary D image relative to the primary indicates that the die worker repositioned the punch laterally before delivering the final blow. This variety is cross-referenced as ODV-003 in the obverse die variety numbering system, linking the mintmark punch error to its specific die pair. The 1971-D Kennedy Half is historically notable as a first-year clad-only issue: the 40% silver composition used for Kennedy halves from 1965 through 1970 was discontinued, and the denomination transitioned entirely to the copper-nickel clad format that continues today. Denver's half dollar production in 1971 was modest by the standards of earlier silver issues, as the coin was beginning its gradual withdrawal from everyday commerce. Repunched mintmark varieties from this transitional period are valued by specialists who study the final years of hand-punched mintmark application before the process was mechanized.

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