1953-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-001

Description

Holding the premier catalog position as the first documented repunched mintmark for the 1953-D Jefferson Nickel, WRPM-001 was cataloged by the Wexler Team under the designation 1953-D 5c WRPM-001 and is cross-referenced as CONECA RPM #1. This dual cataloging across the Wexler and CONECA systems confirms the variety's recognition by the two principal U.S. coin variety attribution services. The reverse die marker consists of a long curving die scratch extending from the roof of Felix Schlag's Monticello design in a south-southwest direction down to the small right window — a distinctive arc that provides rapid visual confirmation of this specific reverse die. The 1953-D Jefferson Nickel was struck at the Denver Mint in the standard copper-nickel alloy (75% copper, 25% nickel), weighing 5.0 grams with a diameter of 21.2 mm. During the 1950s, mintmark application on Jefferson Nickels was performed by hand, with a Mint employee physically punching the small D mintmark into each individual working die using a hand-held punch and mallet. This manual process was inherently prone to misplacement, rotation, and the need for repositioning — which is precisely what creates repunched mintmark varieties when the initial punch strike was deemed unsatisfactory and a corrective second (or third) strike was applied. As RPM-001 for the 1953-D nickel, this variety represents the most prominent or earliest-discovered repunched mintmark within this date-mint combination, and it belongs to the Jefferson Nickels Original Design 1938-2003 series. Collectors should examine the D mintmark area under magnification to identify the secondary impression traces.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: CONECA: RPM #1
• CONECA: RPM #1; Wexler Variety ID: 1953-D 5¢ WRPM-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References