1941-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-018

Description

Eighteenth documented repunched mintmark for the 1941 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, Wexler designation 1941-S 1¢ WRPM-018 represents a remarkably high RPM count for a single date-mint combination, indicating that mintmark punching inconsistencies were exceptionally frequent on 1941-S dies. Eighteen distinct RPM dies for one date means that at least eighteen individual working dies received S mintmark punches that left visible traces of repositioning — either the first punch was misplaced, tilted, or duplicated during the application process. The 1941-S cent was produced on the eve of American entry into World War II, and the San Francisco Mint's cent production that year contributed to a wartime economy that would soon dramatically alter mint operations. No other known cross-references exist for WRPM-018, placing documentation responsibility within the Wexler cataloging framework. The San Francisco Mint's mintmark punching process mirrored the procedure at other branches: working dies shipped from Philadelphia required individual hand-punching of the S letter before being placed into service. The probability of a visible repunch on any given die was influenced by operator skill, punch wear, die surface hardness, and ambient working conditions, and eighteen occurrences from one year's die production suggests conditions that were particularly conducive to mintmark placement errors. The Wexler Team maintains this entry as part of their comprehensive RPM registry, and the high sequence number for the 1941-S positions this date-mint combination among the most RPM-rich entries in the early Lincoln Wheat Cent catalog.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Bordner Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1941-S 1¢ WRPM-018
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References