1937 (D) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Repunched Mintmark WRPM-004

Description

Fourth in the Wexler catalog of repunched mintmarks for the 1937-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, WRPM-004 documents yet another die from this prolific Denver Mint year where the hand-punched D mintmark shows evidence of multiple impressions. During the 1930s, each working die destined for the Denver facility received its D mintmark individually — an engraver positioned the steel letter punch on the reverse and struck it into the die face, and any misalignment between successive blows left overlapping D images that define a repunched mintmark. Cross-referenced as Coppercoins 1937D-1MM-003, WRPM-004 carries dual attribution across the Wexler and Coppercoins reference systems. The existence of multiple cataloged RPMs for the 1937-D (WRPM-004 being the fourth) reflects the inherent variability of hand-punching — each die was an individual product of manual craftsmanship, and slight positional errors were common enough to produce a substantial catalog of varieties for heavily produced dates. Collectors examining 1937-D Wheat Cents should focus on the mintmark area below the wheat ears, comparing the D's serifs and curves against known RPM photographs to determine which specific variety they hold.

Cross References

• Coppercoins: 1937D-1MM-003; Wexler Variety ID: 1937-D 1¢ WRPM-004

External References