1953-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-001

Description

Presenting an attribution dispute between two major cataloging authorities, the 1953-S WRPM-001 is a repunched mintmark variety on the Jefferson nickel from the San Francisco Mint. CONECA catalogs this variety as RPM #4 and describes the mintmark as S/S West, while Wexler classifies it as an S/S East under the designation 1953-S WRPM-001. This directional disagreement reflects the challenges inherent in interpreting subtle mintmark displacement, where the angle of examination, lighting conditions, and specimen quality can influence how an attributor reads the direction of the secondary punch impression. Repunched mintmarks on Jefferson nickels from this era occurred when the S mintmark punch was applied to the working die more than once with a slight positional offset, leaving traces of the first impression visible beneath or beside the final strike. The 1953-S Jefferson nickel was part of the original Felix Schlag design series produced at San Francisco during the post-war era, and RPM varieties from this period document the hand-punch mintmark application method that would eventually give way to mintmarks incorporated directly into the master die beginning in 1990.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: CONECA: RPM #4 Comments: CONECA describes this one as an S/S West when it is clearly an S/S East.
• CONECA: RPM #4 Comments: CONECA describes this one as an S/S West when it is clearly an S/S East.; Wexler Variety ID: 1953-S 5¢ WRPM-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References