1942-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-004

Description

Fourth in the repunched mintmark catalog for the 1942 Denver Mint Mercury Dime, this variety shows a D/D repunching with the secondary mintmark positioned to the south, indicating the D mintmark punch was applied twice to the reverse die with the second impression shifted downward relative to the first. The obverse of this die pair is listed as DDO-001, pairing it with a doubled die obverse, and the variety is cross-referenced as FS-101/502 in the Cherrypickers' Guide — a dual Fivaz-Stanton number indicating both the repunched mintmark and the obverse doubling are recognized in that major reference. The 1942-D Mercury Dime was struck during a pivotal year of World War II, when the Denver Mint was producing coinage at accelerated rates to support the wartime economy while also preparing for the composition changes that would affect the nickel denomination. Adolph A. Weinman's Mercury Dime (more properly the Winged Liberty Head), produced from 1916 through 1945, received its mintmark by hand-punching individual letters into each reverse working die, and this manual process inevitably produced repunched mintmarks when the punch was applied more than once at slightly different positions. The combination of RPM-004 with DDO-001 on the same coin makes this die pair a particularly attractive variety for collectors, as it documents two distinct manufacturing errors — one from die hubbing and one from mintmark application — on a single wartime issue.

External References