1936-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-004

Description

Fourth in the repunched mintmark census for the 1936-D Mercury dime, RPM-004 exhibits a D/D displacement to the north — the secondary mintmark impression sits above the final position, creating an overlapping pair of D letters visible under magnification. During the hand-punching era, each working die received its mintmark individually from a Mint employee who positioned a small steel letter punch and drove it into the die surface with a mallet, a process that frequently produced imperfect initial placements requiring correction. The northward displacement indicates the first punch attempt landed too high on the die, and the second (final) blow repositioned the D lower, leaving a ghost of the original impression protruding above the primary letter. Adolph A. Weinman's Mercury dime reverse places the mintmark at the lower left near the fasces, providing the diagnostic zone. Denver struck approximately 16.13 million dimes in 1936, and die markers UVC-075 and DMR-005 from VarietyVista anchor the attribution within their classification framework. The comments record the displacement as "D/D North," confirming a single repunching event with one directional shift — simpler than the triple-punched RPM-001 for the same date but still a clear attributable variety. RPM-004 sits fourth in the 1936-D Mercury dime RPM census, behind three higher-ranked varieties that presumably show more dramatic displacement or were discovered earlier. Unlike the FS-501-listed RPM-001, RPM-004 does not carry a Cherry Pickers' Guide cross-reference, placing it in the specialist-interest tier. Collectors should examine the D mintmark on the reverse under 15x magnification, looking for a secondary D shadow protruding above the primary letter — the hallmark of northward displacement where the initial punch impression remains visible at the top of the final mintmark position.

Die Markers

• UVC-075, DMR-005

External References