1949-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-016

Description

Sixteenth repunched mintmark variety documented by the Wexler Team for the 1949-D Lincoln wheat cent, WRPM-016 exhibits a D/D tilted (rotated) repunched mintmark where a secondary D impression appears at an angle to the primary mintmark position. Repunched mintmarks on pre-1990 United States coins resulted from the hand-punching process used to add mint facility identifiers to individual working dies — an engraver positioned a letter punch against the die and struck it with a hammer, and if the first impression was unsatisfactory, a second or subsequent blow was applied with the punch slightly shifted, rotated, or tilted. The "tilted" classification for WRPM-016 indicates the secondary D rotated relative to the primary, creating a distinctive angular displacement visible under magnification. Denver struck approximately 64.29 million Lincoln cents in 1949, a moderate post-war mintage. Obverse die markers include a short die scratch south from the left bottom of the numeral 1 in the date, while no prominent reverse die markers were recorded. Submitted by Al Raddi and cataloged under Wexler Variety ID: 1949-D 1¢ WRPM-016, with no additional cross-references from CONECA or other attribution services currently known. The tilted D/D repunch is among the more visually interesting RPM configurations because the rotational displacement creates a clear angular difference between the primary and secondary impressions, rather than the simple directional shift seen in cardinal-direction repunches. Collectors should examine the D mintmark on the obverse under 15-20x magnification, looking for a secondary impression tilted relative to the primary, and confirm by locating the die scratch below the 1 in the date.

Attribution History

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1949-D 1¢ WRPM-016
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References