1940-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-002

Description

Showing a D/D South repunched mintmark — the secondary impression displaced downward from the primary — this 1940-D Jefferson Nickel RPM-002 is cataloged by VarietyVista with codes UVC-003 and DMR-003. Felix Schlag's Jefferson Nickel was in only its second full year of production at the Denver Mint, still establishing the dies and processes for the new design that had replaced the Buffalo Nickel in 1938. Struck in 75% copper and 25% nickel, the standard composition that would continue until the wartime silver alloy was introduced in late 1942. Die progression covers three stages: Stage A with reverse and obverse in early die state (EDS), Stage B at mid-die state (MDS), and Stage C at late die state (LDS). The southward displacement indicates the die sinker's initial D punch landed higher than intended, requiring a corrective second blow that settled the mint mark to its final lower position. Repunched mintmarks from early Jefferson Nickel dates are significant because they document the continuation of hand-punching practices during the transition from the Buffalo to the Jefferson design — the same manual die preparation that had generated RPMs throughout the prior series.

Die Markers

• UVC-003
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Paul Funaiole
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References