1941-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-016

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as WRPM-016 on the 1941-S Lincoln Wheat Cent, this repunched mintmark variety preserves evidence of the manual S mintmark application at the San Francisco Mint, where each working die received its mintmark through individual hand punching. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1941-S 1-cent WRPM-016 with no other known attributions, this variety's die markers include a NNE/SSW die scratch between the W and E of WE on the obverse, and NNE/SSE die scratches inside the U of UNITED at the right side on the reverse — directional scratch patterns that suggest die polishing or maintenance during the die's production life. The 1941-S Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 95% copper and 5% tin-and-zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. San Francisco produced approximately 92.4 million cents in 1941, a year when pre-war industrial mobilization was accelerating national coinage demand. The S mintmark on Lincoln Wheat Cents was positioned on the obverse below the date, where it was applied using a small hand-held punch and hammer — a process susceptible to the same types of positional errors that produced repunched mintmark varieties across all denominations and all mints. As WRPM-016, this variety's catalog position within the 1941-S repunched mintmarks indicates a moderate number of documented RPM varieties for this date, consistent with the sizable mintage that would have required numerous working dies. The directional die scratches between WE on the obverse serve as die-specific attribution markers that confirm identification even when the mintmark area shows moderate wear that might otherwise complicate RPM verification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Bordner Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1941-S 1¢ WRPM-016
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References