1940-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-010

Description

Tenth repunched mintmark documented by the Wexler Team for the 1940-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety records one of numerous hand-punching variations that occurred when Denver Mint die sinkers applied the D mintmark to individual working dies. The hand-punching process required the die sinker to position a steel mintmark punch on the die and strike it with a hammer — a process with inherent variability that produced slightly different results on each die. When the initial impression was mispositioned, too shallow, or improperly angled, corrective or reinforcing impressions were applied, creating the overlapping mintmark images that define repunched mintmark varieties. The 1940-D Lincoln Cent was struck during the prewar period with a mintage of 81,390,000, requiring numerous working dies throughout the production year. Ten documented RPMs from this single Denver date demonstrates the frequency with which hand-punching produced detectable positioning errors across the many dies prepared for Lincoln Cent production. The 1940s represent a peak period for RPM variety production on Lincoln Cents, as the combination of high mintage demands (requiring many dies), hand-applied mintmarks (creating individual die variation), and experienced but hurried die sinkers (working under production pressure) created ideal conditions for numerous repunching events. The Wexler attribution system provides standardized documentation for each RPM, including directional notation describing the relationship between primary and secondary mintmark impressions, enabling collectors to distinguish between the ten known 1940-D RPM varieties. These hand-punching artifacts serve as direct evidence of the craftsmanship and occasional human error involved in mid-century die preparation at the Denver Mint facility.

Attribution History

• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1940-D 1¢ WRPM-010
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References