1941-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-015

Description

Fifteenth in the Wexler catalog of repunched mintmark varieties for the 1941-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, WRPM-015 documents a D mintmark that was punched into the working die more than once, leaving traces of the initial impression visible alongside the final position. Cataloged by the Wexler Team under the designation 1941-D 1c WRPM-015 with no other known cross-references, this variety belongs to the Lincoln Wheat Cents 1909-1958 series. The diagnostic obverse die marker is a short die scratch extending north from the upper left of the Y in LIBERTY, which serves as an independent attribution point beyond the mintmark itself. Repunched mintmarks on Lincoln Wheat Cents from the early 1940s are relatively plentiful because the Denver Mint's mintmark application process during this era relied on hand-punching each individual working die — an inherently imprecise operation that frequently produced visible evidence of repositioning. The 1941-D cent was struck in the standard bronze alloy of 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams on a 19 mm planchet. Denver's 1941 cent production reached 128,700,000 pieces, requiring a substantial number of working dies across the production run. Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln, introduced in 1909, provides the design context, while the wheat ears reverse by the same designer frames the era in which hand-punched mintmarks created these collectible varieties. Collectors should examine the D mintmark area under 10x magnification to identify the secondary punch impression that defines WRPM-015.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Bordner Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1941-D 1¢ WRPM-015
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References