1938-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-001

Description

Carrying the primary repunched mintmark designation for the 1938-D Mercury dime, RPM-001 documents a D/D North variety — the most significant RPM cataloged for this final-year Denver issue of Adolph A. Weinman's beloved Winged Liberty Head design. The 1938-D holds special significance as the last Mercury dime struck at Denver before the series gave way to John R. Sinnock's Roosevelt dime in 1946, and with a mintage of only approximately 5.54 million coins, it ranks among the lower-production dates in the series. VarietyVista assigned die identifiers UVC-092 and DMR-002, anchoring this as an early-documented variety within their classification framework. The D/D North displacement pattern indicates the initial mintmark punch landed north (above) the final position, leaving a partial ghost D visible above the primary mintmark on the reverse, positioned to the left of the fasces bundle. As RPM-001, this represents the first and presumably most prominent repunched mintmark documented for the 1938-D date, establishing the benchmark variety for mintmark repunching on this issue. Mercury dime mintmarks were individually hand-punched into each working die, and the small size of the D letter on the diminutive dime planchet made precise placement challenging, contributing to the frequency of RPM varieties across the series. The northward displacement creates a diagnostic where the upper serifs or curves of the ghost D extend above the corresponding features of the primary letter, visible under 15-20x magnification with directed lighting. The combination of key-date status (low mintage final Denver issue) and primary RPM designation makes this variety particularly appealing to Mercury dime specialists who seek attribution targets that combine date significance with variety interest.

Die Markers

• UVC-092, DMR-002

External References