1953-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-001

Description

Primary repunched mintmark cataloged for the 1953 Denver Washington Quarter — RPM-001 documents a D mintmark that was punched into the die, then repositioned and punched again, leaving traces of the first impression visible alongside the final placement. Repunched mintmarks were an inevitable byproduct of the hand-punching process used to add mintmarks to working dies during this era: a Mint employee at Philadelphia would position a letter punch (D for Denver, S for San Francisco) on the die face and strike it with a mallet, but if the first impression was deemed mispositioned, the punch would be adjusted and struck again. The remnants of the initial punch — visible as a ghostly secondary D displaced from the primary letter — identify the variety. The 1953-D Washington Quarter was struck during the silver era of the series, on 90% silver at 24.3mm, using John Flanagan's design based on Jean-Antoine Houdon's celebrated bust of Washington. Repunched mintmarks on Washington Silver Quarters (1932-1964) are actively collected as a subset of the series, with each RPM number representing a unique die that received multiple mintmark impressions. This is the primary RPM for the date, suggesting it may be the most prominent or earliest-documented repunching. Examine the D mintmark on the reverse for traces of a secondary impression displaced from the final position.

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