1941-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-003

Description

DDR-003 on the 1941-S Mercury dime exhibits light doubling on the right star element and the word AMERICA on the reverse — the fasces-and-olive-branch side of Adolph Weinman's acclaimed design. The San Francisco Mint struck approximately 43.0 million dimes in 1941, the final year before America's entry into World War II would dramatically alter Mint production priorities. This variety is also documented with a medium mintmark size designation (MMS-002), indicating the size classification of the "S" mintmark within the spectrum of mintmark punch sizes used at San Francisco. Reported by Frank Baumann, DDR-003 further carries a notation that the reverse die is separately listed as RPM-001, meaning this same reverse die may also show evidence of mintmark repunching — making it a dual-attribution variety. Mercury dime doubled dies hold special appeal among collectors of Weinman's 1916-1945 design, which is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in American coinage. Light doubling on the reverse star and AMERICA requires examination under magnification, focusing on the edges and points of the right star and the individual letter serifs.

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