1949-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-001

Description

Carrying the primary repunched mintmark designation for the 1949-D Washington quarter, RPM-001 documents a D/D/D/D repunching with the secondary impressions displaced to the west, accompanied by serif-related diagnostics. The D/D/D/D notation indicates the mintmark was punched into the working die at least four times — each application visible as a distinct ghost image of the D displaced from the final position. John Flanagan's Washington quarter reverse features the heraldic eagle with the mintmark placed below the wreath bow, a location where the small D punch was applied by hand using a hammer and punch tool, making slight misalignment between successive applications virtually inevitable. The westward displacement direction means the earlier punchings landed to the left of the final accepted position, creating overlapping D impressions that spread toward the nine o'clock direction. The serifs notation references the distinctive pointed terminals of the D mintmark style, which provide additional diagnostic detail — serif shapes varied between different mintmark punch tools used at the Denver Mint, and their presence on the secondary impressions helps confirm the repunching rather than die deterioration or machine doubling. Denver struck approximately 10.07 million Washington quarters in 1949, a relatively modest production that places this date among the lower-mintage issues of the post-war era. As RPM-001, this represents the most prominent or first-documented repunched mintmark for the 1949-D quarter, and the quadruple repunching (four distinct impressions) makes it one of the more dramatic RPM varieties in the Washington quarter series. Collectors should examine the mintmark area under 15-20x magnification, looking for three secondary D impressions west of the primary, with particular attention to the serif terminals where the individual punch applications are most clearly distinguished from one another.

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