1938 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Repunched Mintmark WRPM-002 / RPM-002

Description

The 1938-S RPM-002, which Wexler numbers WRPM-002, is a repunched mintmark on the 1938-S Lincoln wheat cent with three S punches, the extra ones lying west and northwest (S/S/S West & Northwest). Both catalogs give it the Cherrypickers number FS-502 (Wexler writes FS-01-1938S-502 (016.5)). Wexler's Coins and Die Varieties follows five stages, A to E. Obverse stage A has two NNW/SSE scratches to the west of the date's 1, a scratch below the earlobe that heads southwest briefly before turning south, a scratch through the middle of the E of WE running north by west to south by east, a die chip (dot) at the rim under the L of LIBERTY, a light NNW scratch from the bridge of the nose, light north-south scratches centered on the lapel and the fold of the jacket, and a weak secondary mintmark with a lower tail to the west. In stage B only the nose scratch and the chip under the L remain, and the secondary is a little stronger, now also showing a faint upper curve on the west side as well as the tail. Stage C replaces the earlier markers with a north-south gouge in the field from the right center of the Y in LIBERTY and a small chip (dot) in the field at the left center of the 9, with a strong secondary mintmark; in stage D these are still there but weak, and in stage E only a faint gouge right of the Y remains. On the reverse, stage A shows a crack that leaves the rim at 3:00, heads southwest to the wheat ear and then runs SSW through the right wheat grains, with a very large chip on it to the right of the last S in STATES; a crack going north off the upper left wheat grain that fades and bends NNW toward the rim at 11:00; and two weak north-south cracks on the right-hand grains of the left wheat ear, southwest of the U in UNITED. In stage B those cracks are very strong, especially the ones below the U. Stage C is a new reverse die, with a gouge on the C in CENT, on its right side, roughly a quarter of the way up, a short east-west scratch inside the bottom of the N of ONE where its left and diagonal strokes meet, and a scratch running south off the lower right of the N in CENT. Stage D adds a gouge running from the left wheat tip through the middle of the E in E PLURIBUS UNUM, which Wexler says the feeder fingers of the press caused by scratching the die; the stage C markers are still there but weak. In stage E the gouge at the C of CENT remains, the scratch at the N of ONE is gone, and the wheat gouge is fainter and reaches only the E. Lloyd Hanson submitted stages A, C and D and Albert B. Raddi stages B and E. CONECA lists it as RPM #2, Crawford as CRPM-002, and Coppercoins as 1938S-1MM-002. VarietyVista, without naming a reporter, describes S/S/S West, Northwest. Under UVC-069 and DMR-004, stage A has a very weak secondary mintmark in an early die state, a crack from the left wheat lines to the rim in a late-middle state, a crack from the upper right wheat grains to the rim, and a die break in the right wheat grains; in stage B the obverse is middle and the reverse late. Under UVC-070 and DMR-005, stage C has a strong secondary mintmark, middle state, with a changed reverse die, also middle; stage D has a strong secondary in a late state and a late-state gouge from the left wheat tip to the E of E PLURIBUS UNUM; and in stage E both sides are in a very late die state.

Die Markers

• VarietyVista: UVC-069 DMR-004 Stage A: Very weak secondary mintmark – EDS, scarce Die crack Left wheat lines to rim – LMDS Die crack upper Right wheat grains to rim Die break in Right wheat grains Stage B: Obverse is MDS Reverse is LDS UVC-070 DMR-005 Stage C: Strong secondary mintmark – MDS Reverse die changed – MDS Stage D: Strong secondary mintmark – LDS Die gouge Left wheat tip to E of E PLURIBUS UNUM – LDS Stage E: Obverse and Reverse are VLDS

Cross References

• Wexler: 1938-S 1¢ WRPM-002; VarietyVista: 1938-S RPM-002; CONECA: RPM #2, Cherrypickers: FS-01-1938S-502 (016.5), Crawford: CRPM-002, Coppercoins: 1938S-1MM-002

External References