1945-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-004

Description

Rotational misalignment rather than simple directional shift characterizes the 1945-D Mercury dime RPM-004, which presents a D/D Rotated CW (clockwise) displacement — a relatively uncommon repunching type where the initial D mintmark was applied at a slightly different rotational angle rather than simply being displaced in a cardinal direction. The clockwise rotation means the first D was oriented with a mild counterclockwise bias, and the corrective punch, applied at the proper angle, created an overlapping pair of D impressions that diverge most at the letter's extremities. Adolph A. Weinman's final-year Mercury dime design from Denver carries this variety among a robust census of at least nine documented RPMs for the 1945-D date. Denver struck approximately 40.25 million Mercury dimes in 1945, the highest wartime output from this facility and one of the largest D-mint totals in the series. Rotational repunching creates a distinctive diagnostic pattern: unlike simple directional displacement where the entire secondary letter shifts uniformly north, south, east, or west, rotational displacement produces the greatest separation at the terminal points of the letter — the serifs and outer curves of the D — while the central portion where the two punches share an axis shows minimal divergence. This geometric characteristic makes rotated RPMs both more subtle and more diagnostically interesting than strongly shifted cardinal-direction varieties. Collectors examining the D mintmark should use 10-15x magnification and compare the serifs at the top and bottom of the letter, looking for slight angular disagreement between the primary and secondary D impressions. The clockwise designation means the secondary (first punch) image appears slightly rotated counterclockwise relative to the final position — visible as serifs that extend at a different angle than expected from a single clean punch.

External References