1945-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-029

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with the comment S/S West, the 1945-S Jefferson Nickel RPM-029 is a repunched mintmark variety on the Wartime Silver Alloy issue from the San Francisco Mint, cataloged as UVC-343 with die marker record DMR-031. The S/S West designation indicates the initial S mintmark was placed too far east, with the corrective second punch shifting the final S westward, leaving a remnant of the first impression visible to the east (right) of the primary letter. Die stage progression documents three states: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B with both reverse and obverse at mid-die-state (MDS), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed), with Stage B being the confirmed state. The 1945-S wartime Jefferson Nickel was among the final coins struck in the emergency 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese composition at the San Francisco Mint before the wartime alloy program ended with the conclusion of World War II. Felix Schlag’s design features Jefferson’s portrait on the obverse and Monticello on the reverse, with the large S positioned above Monticello and each coin weighing 5.00 grams at 21.2 mm diameter. The San Francisco Mint’s wartime nickel production employed numerous working dies, each requiring individual hand-punching of the large S mintmark in the unfamiliar above-Monticello position. The westward correction creating the S/S West pattern reveals the specific error-and-correction sequence where the initial punch landed too far to the right before being repositioned. At the confirmed MDS stage, the repunching detail should be visible but showing some wear, and collectors seeking sharper examples should search for undocumented EDS specimens.

Die Markers

• UVC-343
• DMR-031
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jerome Goodman
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References