1944 (D) Jefferson Nickel - Wartime Silver Alloy - Repunched Mintmark RPM-011

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with the comment notation D/D West, the 1944-D Jefferson Nickel RPM-011 is a repunched mintmark variety on the Wartime Silver Alloy issue from the Denver Mint, cataloged as UVC-185 with die marker record DMR-013. The D/D West designation specifies the direction of the repunching: the initial D mintmark was placed too far east, and the corrective second punch shifted the final position westward, leaving a secondary D impression visible to the east (right) of the primary letter. Die stage progression documents three states: Stage A with both reverse and obverse in early die state (EDS), Stage B at mid-die-state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The confirmed EDS for Stage A means the earliest known specimens show fresh die surfaces where the repunching detail should be most sharply defined. The 1944-D wartime Jefferson Nickel was struck in the emergency composition of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese, with the large D mintmark positioned above Monticello to distinguish wartime-alloy coins from standard issues. Felix Schlag’s design of Jefferson’s portrait and his Monticello estate appears on each 5.00-gram, 21.2 mm diameter coin. The Denver Mint’s high-volume wartime production in 1944 required numerous working dies, each needing its D mintmark applied by hand above Monticello. The westward correction direction documented in this RPM provides insight into the specific error-and-correction sequence performed by the die sinker, revealing that the initial punch impression landed east of the intended target position before being corrected with a second, properly placed strike.

Die Markers

• UVC-185
• DMR-013
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References