1942-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-009

Description

Documented by VarietyVista, the 1942-S Jefferson Nickel RPM-009 is a repunched mintmark variety on the Wartime Silver Alloy issue from the San Francisco Mint, cataloged as UVC-051 with die marker record DMR-010. Die stage documentation tracks three states: Stage A with both reverse and obverse in early die state (EDS), Stage B at mid-die-state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The wartime Jefferson Nickels struck at San Francisco in 1942 carried a large S mintmark positioned above Monticello on the reverse, replacing the traditional small mintmark location near the date — a change implemented to clearly identify coins struck in the emergency wartime composition of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese. This alloy substitution, mandated by the War Production Board, freed strategic nickel reserves for armor plating, ammunition casings, and other military applications critical to the Allied war effort. Felix Schlag designed the Jefferson portrait obverse and Monticello reverse, with wartime issues weighing 5.00 grams at 21.2 mm diameter. The San Francisco Mint’s 1942-S wartime nickel production ran alongside the final standard-composition nickels of that year, creating a transitional production environment where both alloys were being struck. The repositioning of the mintmark from its traditional small-letter location to the new large-letter position above Monticello required die sinkers to adapt to an unfamiliar placement, contributing to the occurrence of repunched mintmark varieties as initial punch impressions were corrected. The EDS documentation for Stage A suggests specimens from the earliest strikes may show the repunching most clearly before die wear began to soften the secondary impression’s visibility.

Die Markers

• UVC-051
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References