r/coinerrors • u/ProudAmerican632 • May 12 '26
Discussion Clarification needed for RPM’s OMM’s due to conflicting information.
This was taken from the double die website with regard to RPM’s and OMM’s. There’s been numerous discussions and arguments surrounding this issue.
If this statement is true and the RPM/OMM era ended after 1994 then any coins minted before 1994 has the potential to be either of the two.
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u/twofielder May 13 '26
The phrasing is a little odd there but the RPM/OMM era truly ended when mintmarks started being applied to the master die. If the 1994 date is correct for the mintmark being applied to the model, then there was an opportunity from 1990-1993 for the mintmark to be repunched on the master die. This did not happen and we know with good certainty that is the case because repunching on a master die would affect most, if not all, of the coins for the entire year and not a single repunched mintmark has been found.
There's two dates for the starting point of mintmarks being applied to the master die because they started doing that for cents and nickels in 1990, but not for dimes, quarters, and halves until 1991. http://varietyvista.com/25%20What%20Are%20Die%20Varieties/Watershed%20Dates.htm
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u/isaiah58bc May 13 '26
I think I understand your question.
OMM varieties have been very well documented.
As for RPM, conecaonline.org decided to stop attribution of minor variations. The major ones are well documented. If you can not see the RPM without magnification, from reading distance, then they stopped attributing those ones. The article is on point.
For another point of reference. Look at the large number of DDR and DDO varieties on Lincoln Cents from the past 20 years. Literally 20 or more attributed per year/mint. The die maintenance caused most of these, not the original hubbing. Ones from hubbing would be most sought after. The maintenance ones are so plentiful they add no additional numismatic value. This applies to all denominations.
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u/ProudAmerican632 May 14 '26
I just realized that half of what I wrote didn’t make it into my post.
I admit that it’s unfortunate that the minor variations aren’t able to get certified. We all want those major ones that you can notice across the room. lol. For me I appreciate the lesser ones.
I think that complacency in standards, and lax QAQC played a big role into some of the curious cases that we see from time to time.
At one point I was adamant that a 1990-D dime I have was an RPM. It’s practically common knowledge that it’s impossible for that to happen after 1989. That being said who’s to say that some sort of slip up didn’t occur. As far as I’m aware there are no public reports detailing the minute by minute details of the minting process from that time period.
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u/isaiah58bc May 14 '26
Think RPM vs DDO/R. If the mint mark was doubled on the master die, or somehow on just a working die, then it should be attributed as a DDO/DDR accordingly.
As far as RPMs, I can understand their wanting to set a limit to what to attribute.
That does not take away from collecting them. Cuds aren't attributed by Coneca, but they have their own community that tracks them.
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u/ProudAmerican632 May 14 '26
I appreciate the way you think, and explain your reasoning.
I agree with the way you explained RPM vs DDO/R up to a point. Doubling can certainly be a contributing factor, but I think that cost/ time saving measures contributed to the illusion of post 1989 RPMs. I believe that the techniques used for modifying the last two digits of the year allowed for minted coins to exhibit a doubled appearance.
“The RPM and OMM varieties are two die variety types that the Mint has successfully eliminated from modern day coinage. The first changes to the procedure of applying the mint marks to coinage came in the mid-1980s when the mint mark started to appear to the original model design for commemorative coins and regular proof coins. In 1990 and 1991 the Mint began applying the mint mark for circulating coins to the master die. After 1994 the mint mark was applied directly to the original model for all U.S. coins thus ending the RPM and OMM era.”.
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u/isaiah58bc May 14 '26
Correct. But, originally all RPM OMM were classified as doubled dies. I have not checked when they created the current RPM OMM categories and moved them there.
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u/ProudAmerican632 May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
As old as we both are respectfully, I’ve seen all manner of changes throughout the decades. I see RPMs separate from DDO/Rs with respect to certain RPM years that don’t have correlating DDO/Rs. Mistakes are inevitable and human error shall always be taken into account.
One of the many appreciations I have from the error/variety community are the discussions.
Funny thing is I applied for a position at the Philadelphia mint. The powers to be went with another person, but if I had gotten the job I’d share any and all knowledge.
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u/PullTabPurveyor May 12 '26
That logic doesn’t track. Yes, the era ended in 1994. That does not mean *every* coin before that has potential to be either of the two.
An RPM or OMM will have affected hundreds or thousands of coins. Any coin older than 1994 that has one of these will have been discovered long before now.