1942 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Repunched Mintmark RPM-014

Description

Cataloged as UVC-1157, DMR-016, this 1942 San Francisco Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent displays a repunched mintmark with the S/S positioned to the West. Three die stages have been documented: Stage A is EDS (unconfirmed), Stage B shows obverse and reverse in MDS, and Stage C is LDS (unconfirmed). The S/S West repunch direction indicates the initial S punch was placed slightly east of the corrected position. Struck in 95% copper at the San Francisco Mint during World War II, the 1942-S Wheat Cent represents the final year of the standard copper composition before wartime conservation measures took effect. In 1943, the Mint switched to zinc-coated steel planchets to preserve copper for military use, and in 1944-1945 used shell-case copper recycled from spent brass cartridge cases. RPM-014 is one of sixteen cataloged repunched mintmark varieties for the 1942-S date, documenting the hand-punching variations that accumulated across the many working dies needed for wartime production.

Die Markers

• UVC-1157
• DMR-016
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References