1937-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-005

Description

From the final year of San Francisco Buffalo Nickel production, this 1937-S variety displays an S/S repunched mintmark displaced to the north. Cataloged as UVC-212 with die marriage DMR-006, the northward shift places the secondary mintmark impression below the final S position. San Francisco struck 5.64 million Buffalo Nickels in 1937, the last S-mint issue in the series, as the transition to Felix Schlag's Jefferson Nickel design took effect in 1938. While Denver continued Buffalo Nickel production into 1938-D, no 1938-S Buffalo Nickels were struck, making the 1937-S the terminal San Francisco issue. Fraser's Type 2 reverse design, with the bison standing on a flat, recessed plain, had served the denomination for twenty-five years since its mid-1913 introduction. The 75% copper, 25% nickel alloy remained unchanged. RPM-005 documents one of the final instances of hand-punched S mintmarks on the Buffalo Nickel series, preserving evidence of the manual die preparation techniques that would eventually give way to more standardized methods.

Die Markers

• UVC-212
• DMR-006
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Leroy & Marilyn Van Allen
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References