1940-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-002

Description

Few die varieties carry a backstory as fascinating as this 1940-S Lincoln Wheat Cent RPM. Originally listed as RPM #3 in the 1983 RPM Book by John A. Wexler and Tom Miller, this variety was subsequently deleted from the CONECA files when researchers could not locate a specimen to verify the original listing. For years it remained a "ghost variety" — documented in the literature but unconfirmed in hand. CONECA eventually tracked down a specimen and relisted the variety as RPM #8, vindicating the original 1983 cataloging. This remarkable journey from listing to deletion to reinstatement documents the real-world challenges of die variety research, where physical verification is the ultimate standard. The S/S repunching shows a northwest directional shift. Die markers include die scratches running north from the Y in LIBERTY and north from the back of the collar on the obverse, with no prominent reverse markers noted. Now cross-referenced as CONECA RPM #8 and Wexler Variety ID 1940-S 1c WRPM-002, this variety's circuitous catalog history — spanning over three decades from its 1983 debut through deletion and eventual reinstatement — is as instructive as the variety itself.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lloyd Hanson Cross References: CONECA: RPM #8 Comments: This variety was listed as RPM #3 in the original The RPM Book by John A. Wexler and Tom Miller which was published in 1983. When CONECA assumed ownership of my original RPM Files this listing was deleted from the files most likely because a specimen could not be tracked down to verify. It was replaced by the variety that I have listed as WRPM-011. CONECA eventually did track down a specimen and relisted it as CONECA RPM #8.
• CONECA: RPM #8 Comments: This variety was listed as RPM #3 in the original The RPM Book by John A. Wexler and Tom Miller which was published in 1983. When CONECA assumed ownership of my original RPM Files this listing was deleted from the files most likely because a specimen could not be tracked down to verify. It was replaced by the variety that I have listed as WRPM-011. CONECA eventually did track down a specimen and relisted it as CONECA RPM #8.; Wexler Variety ID: 1940-S 1¢ WRPM-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References