1949-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-045

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1949-D 1¢ WRPM-045 with no other known cross-references, this Lincoln Wheat Cent exhibits a D/D/D triple-punched mintmark with the final correction oriented east and tilted (rotated) — meaning the mintmark punch was applied three separate times, with each successive impression at a slightly different position and the third incorporating both an eastward shift and a rotational component. Triple-punched mintmarks are less common than standard double-punch RPMs because they document three distinct positioning attempts rather than two, indicating the die room engraver required an additional corrective punch beyond the usual single correction. Obverse die markers include a weak east-west die scratch centered between the G and O of GOD, while the reverse shows a slightly wavy die scratch running northeast from the upper right of the E in ONE. The Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Denver Mint in 1949 in standard bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse portrait, and the wheat ears reverse was in its forty-first year of service. The 45th cataloged repunched mintmark for the 1949-D date illustrates the extensive range of mintmark positioning variations generated during high-volume cent production at Denver, where each working reverse die received its D mintmark through individual hand-punching. The triple-punch nature of this variety — D/D/D rather than the standard D/D — makes it particularly interesting to RPM specialists because it preserves evidence of multiple successive positioning attempts, documenting the engraver's process of adjusting placement through three distinct hammer blows.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1949-D 1¢ WRPM-045
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References