Another Damaged MM Punch?

[jallengomez]

This may be old news to everyone but me, but today I started searching 1970S rolls and came across a mint mark that first made me think RPM and upon a closer look it made me think a well placed contact mark. Then I found another. Then I found others from different dies. This is the MMS-008 which was used for several different year, so I had some rolls of 69S sitting around and I decided to take a look at those. Same thing on numerous die examples. Here are photos. The first is from a 69S and the second from a 70S. My thinking is that a crack developed on the MM punch.

[Maineman750]

That could be Jody....did you also notice the two on the east curve of both mm's ?

[jallengomez]

Until I put these photos up side x side, I hadn't noticed the two marks on the curve. I'll have to go back and see if all of the examples I sat aside also show those marks.

[willbrooks]

Interesting. I am well aware of the subsequent punch, MMS009, which began use in 1974, developing a split along the upper curve in a very similar fashion! Variety Vista has good photos of it here:http://varietyvista.com/Doubled%20Mi...f%201974-S.htm Perhaps this is a typical weak spot on MM punches? Yours is much choppier in appearance, though.

[BarryG]

Is that a hit on the tail of the MM on the 69S, or a different style MM?

[jallengomez]

Barry,

It's a hit, but the biggest reason the two look different is that the 69S had a deeper punching of the mint mark into the face of the die.

[jallengomez]

Good eye Roger. I examined more of these when I got home, and yes, they all have the two marks on the upper curve.

[mustbebob]

The mintmark punches were used to death. This anomaly could have appeared at any time during its use. Since these were also used on other denominations, you may see it on them also. I think the reason this one may not be so well known is that it is not as similar to an RPM as the 1979D punch. Either way, that is some great detective work and now something I will look at while checking these dates.

[onecent1909]

I just looked at my books and CC...
some real RPMs are made with these broken punch S mint marks

[jay4202472000]

The mintmark punches were used to death. This anomaly could have appeared at any time during its use. Since these were also used on other denominations, you may see it on them also. I think the reason this one may not be so well known is that it is not as similar to an RPM as the 1979D punch. Either way, that is some great detective work and now something I will look at while checking these dates.

I had been meaning to ask this very question. I had found a lightly circulated 1979-D dime with the same notch, on the lower serif, as on the Lincolns. I just hadn't gotten around to asking. Thank you much!

[jallengomez]

Jay,

That's an interesting question. Coneca lists the Denver mint mark styles used for the cent, the Jefferson nickel, and the Washington quarter, but it make no mention at all about other denominations including the Roosevelt dime. Being a Lincoln collector, I had never even noticed that Coneca omits certain denominations on its "mint mark syles" page.

[jay4202472000]

That is interesting. It's only the Denver dimes & halves. The San Fran styles cover all denominations, cents to halves.

I think I saved the dime as an example of the broken punch, other than the Lincoln I saved. I'll see if I can find it this weekend. If I can, I'll post it. It's the first thing that popped in my head. It looks exactly like the little "V notch" that I see on the cents from 1979.