1953-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-008

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1953-D 5c WRPM-008, this Jefferson Nickel displays a repunched D mintmark — evidence that the Denver Mint letter punch was applied more than once to this working die during manufacture, with the initial impression landing in a slightly different position than the final corrective punch. The D/D repunched mintmark pattern on Jefferson Nickels from the early 1950s reflects the manual mintmark application process that continued at all U.S. branch mints through 1989, where a technician positioned a small steel D punch against the working die face and struck it with a hammer, relying on visual alignment and steady hands for accurate placement. When the first blow missed its target by even a fraction of a millimeter, the correction process left permanent evidence of both impressions in the die steel, and every coin subsequently struck from that die carries the telltale doubled mintmark. The 1953-D Jefferson Nickel was struck at the Denver Mint in standard copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) weighing 5.00 grams with a diameter of 21.21 mm. Felix Schlag designed the obverse Jefferson portrait and the Monticello reverse, which served the denomination from 1938 through 2003 before the Westward Journey designs temporarily replaced them. The eighth cataloged repunched mintmark for the 1953-D date indicates multiple working dies at the Denver facility experienced mintmark placement issues during production of this date, each producing a unique D/D pattern depending on the direction and magnitude of the initial misplacement. Examination under 10x to 15x magnification focused on the mintmark area, located on the reverse to the right of Monticello, best reveals the secondary impression's remnant alongside the primary D.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1953-D 5¢ WRPM-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References