1930-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-001

Description

First in the repunched mintmark catalog for the 1930-S Mercury Dime, RPM-001 documents an S/S West — a doubled mintmark where the S was punched into the working die, then repunched with the second impression shifted to the west of the initial placement. Before 1990, mintmarks were added to working dies by hand using a small steel punch, and the inherent imprecision of this manual process generated repunched mintmarks whenever the operator's second blow landed in a slightly different position. The westward shift creates a shadow or echo of the S visible under magnification, typically appearing as a thickening or doubling on the western side of the letter. Adolph A. Weinman's Winged Liberty Head design, popularly known as the Mercury Dime, was produced from 1916 through 1945. San Francisco Mint production. The 1930-S had a modest mintage of approximately 1.8 million, making it one of the scarcer dates in the Mercury Dime series, and RPM varieties on lower-mintage dates attract premium interest because they combine die variety significance with date scarcity. Attributed by VarietyVista.

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