1937-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-005

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1937-D 1¢ WRPM-005 and cross-referenced as CONECA RPM #4, this Lincoln Wheat Cent exhibits a D/D North repunched mintmark where the secondary D impression is positioned north (above) the primary placement. The diagnostic notes provide a comparative reference against other varieties from the same date: the primary mint mark on WRPM-005 is further left than on WRPM-001, and the secondary impression is further west — positional distinctions that help differentiate between the five cataloged RPM varieties for the 1937-D date, each produced by different working dies with their own unique mintmark punch placements. Reverse die markers include light die cracks along the right edges of the upper right wheat grains, documenting structural deterioration in the reverse die's high-relief wheat stalk area. The CONECA RPM #4 cross-reference places this as the fourth-ranked repunched mintmark in the CONECA catalog for the 1937-D Lincoln cent, confirming independent documentation across two major attribution systems. The 1937-D Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Denver Mint during the late Depression era in the standard bronze composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse Lincoln portrait, while the wheat ears reverse served from 1909 through 1958. Repunched mintmark varieties from the 1930s Denver Mint provide valuable documentation of the hand-punching process, where each working die received its D mintmark through individual application of a small steel letter punch — a manual procedure that created unique positional characteristics on every die, with the relative positions of primary and secondary impressions forming a diagnostic fingerprint specific to each RPM variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lloyd Hanson Cross References: CONECA: RPM #4
• CONECA: RPM #4; Wexler Variety ID: 1937-D 1¢ WRPM-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References