1942-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-005

Description

Fifth in the repunched mintmark census for the 1942-D Mercury dime, RPM-005 displays a D over D displacement to the southeast, with the secondary mintmark impression positioned below and to the right of the primary punch. This variety carries the Fivaz-Stanton designation FS-501, confirming its recognition in the Cherry Pickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties — a notable distinction given that the 1942-D Mercury dime already has multiple cataloged RPMs competing for collector attention. Adolph A. Weinman's Winged Liberty Head design positions the mintmark on the reverse between the olive branch and the fasces, where the small D letterform provides sufficient detail to reveal displacement between overlapping punch impressions. Denver struck approximately 60.74 million dimes in 1942, a wartime production year when expanded mintages pushed die production to high volumes, and each working die received its D mintmark through manual hand-punching — a process where the die worker placed the mintmark punch by eye and struck it with a hammer, creating opportunities for misalignment with each application. The southeast direction for RPM-005 indicates the first punch impression sits below-right of the final intended position, producing doubled serifs and split letter contours visible along the lower right portions of the D. With RPM-001 through RPM-005 documented for 1942-D alone, this date represents one of the richer hunting grounds for Mercury dime repunched mintmark varieties. Collectors should examine the D mintmark under 15-20x magnification, focusing on the lower right curves and serifs where the southeast displacement concentrates the visible doubling effect between the two punch impressions.

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