1936 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Repunched Mintmark WRPM-002

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1936-S 1¢ WRPM-002, this Lincoln Wheat Cent repunched mintmark variety is notable for its relationship to WRPM-001 — the two share a similar repunching pattern but are distinguished by the lateral position of the primary mintmark, which sits much lower on the WRPM-002 than on its sibling variety. During this era, individual mintmarks were hand-punched into each working die at the branch mint, and slight variations in placement between punches were common. When the engraver's first impression landed off-target, a corrective second punch created the overlapping letters that define repunched mintmark varieties. The lower primary mintmark position is the key diagnostic separating WRPM-002 from WRPM-001, and collectors examining 1936-S Wheat cents should compare the vertical position of the S relative to the surrounding design elements to distinguish between the two. The 1936 San Francisco Mint production was modest by comparison to Philadelphia, making San Francisco die varieties from this year proportionally harder to locate in quantity.

Cross References

• None known Comments: This variety is similar to WRPM-001, but the primary mint mark is set much lower than that seen on WRPM-001.; Wexler Variety ID: 1936-S 1¢ WRPM-002

External References