1937-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-007

Description

Seventh in the Wexler repunched mintmark census for the 1937-D Lincoln wheat cent, WRPM-007 documents a D mintmark punched over two prior impressions — D/D/D — with the earlier strikes displaced to the south and northwest relative to the final position. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln cent obverse, in production since 1909, carries the mintmark on the obverse below the date, and the hand-punching process used to apply mintmarks to working dies throughout this era created natural variation that produced the repunched mintmark varieties prized by collectors. Denver struck approximately 34.50 million wheat cents in 1937, a mid-Depression mintage that reflects the gradual recovery of commercial coin demand. The triple-punched mintmark — south and northwest — indicates the engraver made at least two preliminary placements before settling on the final D position, with each unsuccessful attempt leaving a partial impression in the die steel that transferred as ghost images on struck coins. Obverse die markers include a northeast-to-southwest die scratch inside the upper opening of the 3 in the date near the curve, plus east-southeast to west-northwest die scratches between the bust truncation and the rim, providing secondary diagnostics independent of the mintmark itself. No significant reverse die markers were observed, and the examining specimen was circulated, which may limit the visibility of the finer die scratch diagnostics on worn examples. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1937-D 1¢ WRPM-007. Collectors should examine the mintmark area under 15-20x magnification, looking for the ghost D impressions displaced south and northwest from the primary letter, which will appear as partial letter outlines or thickened serifs extending in those directions from the final D position.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lloyd Hanson Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1937-D 1¢ WRPM-007
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References