1921-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-001

Description

WRPM-001 documents a repunched mintmark on the 1921-D Mercury dime, with the D mintmark punched Northwest over a previous D impression. Unlike doubled dies caused by hub-to-die misalignment, repunched mintmarks result from the mintmark punch being applied more than once to the working die, with the second impression offset from the first. In 1921, mintmarks were still hand-punched into individual working dies by Mint engravers, a process that frequently produced misaligned secondary impressions. Adolph Weinman's Mercury dime design, featuring the winged Liberty cap obverse and fasces reverse, was in its sixth year of production when this die was prepared at Denver. The 1921-D had a mintage of just 1,080,000 pieces — the lowest regular-issue Denver mintage in the Mercury dime series — making any die variety from this date particularly significant to collectors. No significant obverse or reverse die markers have been reported beyond the repunched mintmark itself. The Northwest offset creates a visible secondary D impression that can be detected under moderate magnification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Steve Kehoe Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1921-D 10¢ WRPM-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References