1946-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-009

Description

Tilted rotation of the D/D repunch defines WRPM-009 on the 1946 Denver Mint Jefferson Nickel, where the mintmark punch was applied twice at slightly different angles, leaving overlapping D impressions that reveal the rotational displacement. Obverse die markers are extensive: a NW/SE die scratch below the chin, short N/S die scratches in front of the nose, NW/SE die scratches behind the head, and short concentric scratches at the rim from the 12 o'clock position to the L in LIBERTY — this last detail suggesting the die may have experienced contact with tooling or another die during preparation. Reverse markers include short die scratches extending SE from the rim above PLURIBUS and a die gouge right of the last S in STATES. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1946-D 5¢ WRPM-009 with no other known references, this variety was attributed by the Wexler Team. Denver struck 45,292,200 Jefferson Nickels in 1946, the first full postwar year when nickel composition returned to the standard 75% copper / 25% nickel alloy after the wartime silver alloy experiment of 1942-1945. Repunched mintmarks on 1946-D nickels are particularly sought because they document the re-establishment of normal Denver Mint operations in the transition to peacetime coinage production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1946-D 5¢ WRPM-009
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References