1953-S Repunched Mintmark RPM-001

Description

Showing an S over S repunched to the south, this 1953-S Washington Quarter RPM-001 preserves the trace of an initial S mintmark impression positioned slightly north of the final placement — the die maker repositioned the punch southward before striking the final S, leaving the first impression's remnants visible above the definitive letter. The "S/S South" designation indicates the direction of the final repunching relative to the original: the corrective punch moved south, so traces of the first S appear displaced northward from the final position. San Francisco mintmarks on 1950s Washington Quarters are smaller than their Denver counterparts, and the S shape — with its compound curves — produces distinctive overlap patterns when repunched. The 1953-S was struck on 90% silver at 24.3mm during an era when San Francisco mintages for quarters were typically lower than Philadelphia or Denver, making RPMs from this mint potentially scarcer in absolute terms. John Flanagan's Washington Quarter design was in its twenty-second year. Repunched mintmark varieties from the silver quarter era are particularly popular because the hand-punching process was eliminated when mintmarks were incorporated into the master die beginning in 1990, making RPMs a closed collecting field for modern issues. Examine the S mintmark for the displaced first impression to the north of the final position.

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