1953-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-002

Description

Designated WRPM-002 for the 1953-S Roosevelt Silver Dime, this repunched mintmark variety shows the S mintmark punched in a northwest orientation over a previous S impression. Before 1990, each die received its mintmark through a manual punch process at the Mint, where an engraver positioned a steel punch bearing the appropriate letter and drove it into the working die with a hammer. If the initial impression was unsatisfactory — misaligned, too shallow, or incorrectly positioned — the engraver would re-punch the mintmark, sometimes from a different angle, leaving traces of the original position visible beneath or alongside the corrected letter. The northwest displacement on WRPM-002 indicates that the first S was placed slightly southeast of its intended position, prompting a corrective second punch toward the northwest. Die markers for this variety include numerous north-south die scratches in front of the mouth on the obverse and a die gouge below the T in LIBERTY, along with a northeast-southwest die scratch to the right of the torch flames on the reverse — all serving as authentication diagnostics that distinguish this specific die from other 1953-S RPM varieties. The variety carries multiple cross-references: CONECA lists it as RPM #2, the Cherrypickers' Guide identifies it as FS-10-1953S-501, and the Wexler catalog designates it 1953-S 10-cent WRPM-002, reflecting its recognition across all major die variety attribution systems. The 1953-S Roosevelt Dime was minted at San Francisco with a production run of 39,180,000 coins in 90% silver composition. Documented by the Wexler Team, this RPM variety is sought by both Roosevelt Dime specialists and general RPM collectors.

Attribution History

• Discovered by The submitter of this die is not noted in the Bordner files. Cross References: CONECA: RPM #2, Cherrypickers: FS-10-1953S-501
• CONECA: RPM #2, Cherrypickers: FS-10-1953S-501; Wexler Variety ID: 1953-S 10¢ WRPM-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References