1948-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-004

Description

Originally cataloged as RPM #1 in the 1983 edition of The RPM Book before being deleted by CONECA and reassigned as RPM #6, this 1948-S Jefferson Nickel carries the Wexler designation WRPM-004 and displays an S/S South repunched mintmark where the initial S punch landed slightly higher than the final corrected position. The Wexler Team's attribution documents a rich set of obverse die markers: a small die gouge below the star, parallel die scratches running NNW/SSE just to the right of the upper queue of Jefferson's ponytail, and on the reverse, a small die gouge positioned midway between the C and E in MONTICELLO. Additional reverse diagnostics include a die scratch running southwest from the bottom left of the second A in AMERICA, numerous die scratches running NW/SE between the third and fourth columns of Monticello, and numerous die scratches running NNW/SSE inside the short right window and the right arch. The Jefferson Nickel was designed by Felix Schlag and struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1948, composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, weighing 5.00 grams with a diameter of 21.21 mm. The reassignment history from RPM #1 to RPM #6 reflects the evolving cataloging standards within the CONECA organization, where varieties are periodically reviewed and renumbered as new discoveries alter the relative importance rankings. Repunched mintmark varieties from the San Francisco Mint during the late 1940s document the hand-punching process where small steel letter punches were individually hammered into each working die, and the multiple reverse die scratches between the Monticello columns provide a fingerprint unique to this specific working die pair.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: CONECA: RPM #6 Comments: This variety was RPM #1 in the original 1983 The RPM Book . It was later deleted by CONECA and reassigned as RPM #6.
• CONECA: RPM #6 Comments: This variety was RPM #1 in the original 1983 The RPM Book . It was later deleted by CONECA and reassigned as RPM #6.; Wexler Variety ID: 1948-S 5¢ WRPM-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References