1949-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-021

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1949-D 1¢ WRPM-021 and submitted by Ben Peters, this Lincoln Wheat Cent exhibits a D/D Tilted (Rotated) repunched mintmark accompanied by an unusually rich set of die markers across both faces. The obverse carries multiple diagnostic features: a die chip in the field to the right of the bowtie, a die chip on the shoulder, a die gouge to the left of the I in IN, a die chip to the left of the same I, east-west die scratches above the date, and additional east-west die scratches to the left of the head, neck, and shoulder. The reverse presents northwest-southeast die scratches above and below the UNI of UNITED and OF, along with a strong die crack on the right side of the right wheat stalk in a later die state. This concentration of obverse die chips — at the bowtie, shoulder, and near the I of IN — combined with the extensive directional scratching documents a die that accumulated significant surface damage during its service life. No cross-references to other cataloging systems are currently known. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait and the wheat ears reverse design characterize the series that ran from 1909 through 1958. Struck at the Denver Mint in 1949 in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc), the coin weighs 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. The 1949-D had a mintage of approximately 153.1 million pieces. The strong die crack on the right wheat stalk that developed in later die states provides a useful indicator of strike sequence — specimens showing both the RPM and the wheat crack were produced later in the die's life than those showing the RPM alone.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Scott Rusch Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1949-D 1¢ WRPM-021
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References