How to Spot a Repunched Mint Mark

A repunched mint mark is a common occurrence in old coins, but you must learn to spot it! It’s not easy to notice at a glance, so you must examine your coins very carefully. The best way to spot a repunched mint mark is to use a blow up glass, either a 5 or 10x world power version. This will allow you to look at the mint mark much more closely.

The value of repunched mintmark coins depends on how dramatic they are. Most repunched mintmarks are nearly identical to regular coins. The difference in condition makes repunched coins worth more. This is especially true for lincoln cents, which are more desirable due to their dramatic repunched mintmark. It’s important to understand what to look for before you start collecting error coins. You’ll also want to learn more about how to spot these error coins, because they can be much more valuable than the regular ones.

Another reason for repunched mintmarks is that the letter punch used to add a mintmark leaves two or more offset impressions. These offset impressions almost always overlap a secondary mintmark. The secondary mintmark is often smaller and thinner than the normal mintmark. This is due to the fact that the raised letter on the letter punch is tapered in its vertical cross-section. Then the letter punch lands lightly on the rebound and leaves a thin mintmark.

It’s important to note that this type of mint mark is easily identified with a magnification. There are many types of repunched mint marks, and some are hard to spot while others are difficult to recognize. To avoid the worst cases, it’s important to choose a coin with a clear and unmistakable mint mark. If you want to avoid repunched mint marks, buy from a reputable dealer.

Repunched mint marks are caused when the letter punch struck the die twice. The second blow did not fall in the same spot as the first blow, so it bounced off and made a different impression. As a result, the mint added a secondary mintmark to correct the misplaced first one. A repunched mint mark is different from a duplicate die, which is a coin that has 2 mintmark impressions made by the same hub.

Another type of repunched mint mark is called an overmintmark. This is the result of two different mintmarks being applied to the coin. I’ve discussed overmintmarks in a separate entry. A possible example of an overmintmark is the 1956-D Lincoln cent. Though it was struck a year after the San Francisco Mint stopped producing coins, it is still considered a repunched mint mark.