1942-S Improper Mint Mark WIMM-001

Description

Cataloged as Wexler Variety ID 1942-S 10-cent WIMM-001 and cross-referenced as Cherrypickers FS-10-1942S-501, this inverted mint mark variety on a 1942 San Francisco Mint Mercury Dime documents a mintmark that was punched into the working die in an improper orientation. During the pre-1990 era when mintmarks were hand-applied to individual working dies, the tiny letter punch had to be correctly oriented before being struck into the die surface. If the punch was rotated or inverted before application, the resulting mintmark would appear upside down or tilted on every coin struck from that die. The Cherrypickers designation FS-10-1942S-501 — where FS stands for Fivaz-Stanton — places this among the recognized major varieties for the date, ensuring it appears in the standard reference that guides cherry-picking collectors searching through dealer inventory and roll searches. Mercury Dimes of 1942 were produced in massive quantities across all three mints as the nation's economy accelerated during World War II, and San Francisco's contribution to the 1942 dime output was substantial. Adolph A. Weinman's Winged Liberty Head design, popularly known as the Mercury Dime, features the S mintmark on the reverse near the base of the fasces, where an inverted orientation can be detected by comparing the letter's proportions and serif positions against normally oriented examples. Inverted mintmark varieties are among the more dramatic hand-punching errors because they demonstrate a fundamental error in die preparation that escaped quality control and entered full production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Roger Beckner Cross References: Cherrypickers: FS-10-1942S-501
• Cherrypickers: FS-10-1942S-501; Wexler Variety ID: 1942-S 10¢ WIMM-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References