1939-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-004

Description

With war already raging in Europe by September 1939, American Mint operations continued their peacetime routines — including the hand-punching of mintmarks that generated varieties like this fourth documented RPM for the 1939 San Francisco cent. WRPM-004 (Wexler Variety ID: 1939-S 1¢ WRPM-004) preserves evidence of a double-punched S mintmark on a working die from that historically pivotal year. The 1939-S Lincoln Wheat Cent had a mintage of 52.07 million, the highest S-mint cent production of the decade and a figure that required extensive die consumption. Four RPMs from this substantial die pool documents the ongoing prevalence of mintmark placement corrections at San Francisco. The hand-punching method — positioning a hardened S letter punch against the die and driving it in with a hammer — remained standard practice and would continue through the war years and beyond. Collectors pursuing 1939-S RPMs should note that this date's relatively high mintage makes circulated examples readily available for examination, improving the odds of cherrypicking variety specimens from dealer stock and roll searches. Attributed by the Wexler Team without additional catalog cross-references.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lloyd Hanson Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1939-S 1¢ WRPM-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References