VOCABULARY TERM: REPUNCHED, REPUNCHING

Repunched, Repunching. The use of the same, or a new punch, during the original diesinking, or the use of any punch a second or subsequent time. During the making of a die by hand diesinking, each letter is formed by separate letter punches (or with logotypes of several letters on the same punch) by the tapping of the punch with a chasing hammer into the face of the die. When the punch has not been driven deep enough, the diesinker may reposition the punch (hopefully in the same letter depression) for another blow or two. In a sense the repunching of a letter (or number) makes it deeper within the die, thus taller in the struck piece from that die. Infrequently, if the diesinker has not positioned the punch exactly in the same location, the previous letter is faintly visible, slightly offset from the repunched letter form on the struck piece.

Or, if the diesinker realized he choose the wrong punch, or placed it incorrectly (as upside down), he may attempt to save the die by correcting the letter or figure and tap the punch with the chasing hammer another blow. He does this until he feels the punch is deep enough within the face of the die. This does greatly obliterate the first punch depression, but there is most often the faint outline of the first form. This is how overdates and overletters are formed.

Repunching may occur at any time after first formed, even before a restriking as a tooling to reuse the die again, to sharpening up the letters, or say, correcting or updating a date. It can also be used to strengthen inscriptions on dies that have been extensively polished or lapped as part of maintenance and repair. See punch, pencheon.

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Repunched, Repunching (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/516631)

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