1936-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-008

Description

Eighth in the repunched mintmark census for the 1936-D Mercury dime, RPM-008 documents a D/D West variety where the initial mintmark impression was placed west of the final position, leaving a partial ghost D visible to the left of the primary mintmark. Adolph A. Weinman's Mercury dime design — technically a Winged Liberty Head — has been collected avidly since its debut in 1916, and the placement of the D mintmark on the reverse to the left of the fasces bundle provides a natural focal point for RPM collectors. VarietyVista assigned die identifiers UVC-265 and DMR-010, anchoring this variety within their systematic classification framework. Denver struck approximately 16.13 million Mercury dimes in 1936, a production year when the Great Depression's grip was loosening and commercial coin demand was recovering toward pre-crash levels. The D/D West displacement pattern indicates the engraver's initial placement of the mintmark punch landed to the left (west in standard numismatic orientation) of where the final strike was delivered, and the subsequent corrective punch partially overlapped the first impression, creating the characteristic doubled-letter diagnostic visible on struck coins. Mercury dime RPMs are among the more challenging varieties to attribute because the small coin diameter concentrates design elements into a compact area, and the mintmark itself is diminutive compared to larger denominations. Collectors should examine the D mintmark on the reverse under 15-20x magnification with directed lighting from the right side to cast shadows that reveal the ghost western impression, looking specifically for thickened or extended serifs on the left side of the primary D where the secondary impression contributes additional metal displacement.

Die Markers

• UVC-265, DMR-010

External References