1949-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-044

Description

Bearing the remarkably high catalog number WRPM-044, this 1949-D Lincoln Wheat Cent testifies to the extraordinary depth of RPM varieties documented for this date and mint — at least forty-four distinct repunched mintmark dies cataloged. Attributed by the Wexler Team, the variety is classified as D/D Tilted (Rotated), meaning the D mintmark was initially punched at one angle, then repunched at a different rotation, leaving traces of the tilted first impression alongside the corrected position. Diagnostic die markers confirm the attribution: on the obverse, a die crack runs northwest from the top of Lincoln's eye, with an east-west crack traversing head and hair above the right ear. The reverse shows a light die scratch east-southeast from the upper left inside of the C in CENT, plus a second scratch northwest from the upper left of E in CENT. The 1949-D Wheat Cent's large Denver Mint production required numerous working dies, explaining why so many RPM varieties exist. The tilted repunching style is among the more visually distinctive RPM types, as angular differences between punches are often more immediately apparent than simple lateral shifts.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1949-D 1¢ WRPM-044
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References