1943-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-005

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with identifiers UVC-0447 and DMR-027, this 1943-S Washington Silver Quarter presents an S/S repunched mintmark displaced to the west — the commentary notation "S/S West" specifies that the secondary S impression sits to the west of the primary punch, producing a lateral doubling effect visible on the mintmark's vertical stroke. Die state tracking records Stage A as early die state unconfirmed, Stage B with both reverse and obverse confirmed at mid-die-state, and Stage C at late die state remaining unconfirmed. The westward displacement orientation is diagnostically important because it distinguishes RPM-005 from the northeast-displaced RPM-003 on the same 1943-S date, demonstrating that different working dies at the San Francisco Mint received their mintmarks with different misalignment vectors during the hand-punching process. The Washington Quarter was struck in 1943 at the San Francisco Mint during World War II in 90% silver composition weighing 6.25 grams with a diameter of 24.3 mm. John Flanagan's design, based on Jean-Antoine Houdon's famous bust, features Washington's profile on the obverse with a heraldic eagle on the reverse. The 1943-S had wartime-era mintage levels as the Mint balanced coin production with industrial metal demands. Variety collectors tracking Washington Quarter RPMs by displacement direction can use the S/S West pattern on RPM-005 as a definitive separator from other 1943-S mintmark varieties, with 10x magnification on the S providing the clearest view of the lateral displacement.

Die Markers

• UVC-0447
• DMR-027
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References