1940 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Repunched Mintmark RPM-002

Description

Cataloged as UVC-084, DMR-003, this 1940 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent displays a repunched mintmark with the S/S punched north, leaving the initial S impression visible to the north of the final corrected position. Three die stages have been documented: Stage A shows both obverse and reverse in EDS, Stage B is MDS (unconfirmed), and Stage C is LDS (unconfirmed). The northward direction of the secondary S provides a clear diagnostic for distinguishing RPM-002 from other repunched mintmark varieties on the 1940-S cent. Struck in 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc at the San Francisco Mint, the 1940-S Wheat Cent was produced as the nation's industrial output began ramping up ahead of World War II. San Francisco repunched mintmarks from this era document the hand-punching process that remained standard practice, where an S mintmark letter punch was individually applied to each working die. Early die state specimens preserve the sharpest evidence of the northward secondary S impression for definitive attribution.

Die Markers

• UVC-084
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References