1949-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-038

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1949-S 1-cent WRPM-038 with the note that photos of the RPM were taken by Brian Ribar, this thirty-eighth repunched mintmark variety for the 1949-S Lincoln Wheat Cent is documented with extensive die marker information across the obverse and reverse. On the obverse, die scratches run north-south about the 19 of the date, a strong die scratch runs north from the back of Lincoln's head ending in the field well below the G of GOD, and die scratches run north from the tops of TY of LIBERTY. The reverse carries strong die scratches running south from the T of CENT ending at the base of TE of STATES, with additional north-south die scratches running through TE of STATES. Thirty-eight documented RPM varieties for the 1949-S cent reflects the prolific nature of mintmark repunching in the hand-punched mintmark era, when San Francisco Mint engravers applied the S mintmark to working dies using individual letter punches. The 1949-S cent was struck in bronze alloy (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) at 3.11 grams and 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait pairs with the wheat stalk reverse featuring E PLURIBUS UNUM and the denomination inscriptions. The dense network of die scratches across both obverse and reverse provides a comprehensive fingerprint for this die pair, enabling confident attribution even before examining the mintmark repunching itself.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known Comments: The photo of the RPM was taken by Brian Ribar.
• None known Comments: The photo of the RPM was taken by Brian Ribar.; Wexler Variety ID: 1949-S 1¢ WRPM-038
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References