1948-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-016

Description

The 1948-D Lincoln Wheat Cent occupies a notable position in die variety research, with a dense cluster of documented repunched mint marks stretching from the teens into the upper thirties — and WRPM-016 sits near the beginning of that concentration. Attributed by the Wexler Team under Wexler Variety ID 1948-D 1¢ WRPM-016, this variety records a working die on which the D mint mark was applied at least twice, producing overlapping impressions visible under magnification. Denver's postwar cent output in 1948 was substantial, driven by an economy where consumer spending, housing construction, and industrial expansion all fueled demand for circulating coinage. Each working die used at Denver that year received its mint mark through hand-punching — a die setter positioning a small steel D punch over the designated location below the date and striking it with a mallet. When the first blow landed slightly off target, a corrective second application was needed, and the remnant of the initial impression became the diagnostic marker that researchers would catalog decades later. No additional cross-references beyond the Wexler system are listed for this variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1948-D 1¢ WRPM-016
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References