1942 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Repunched Mintmark WRPM-004

Description

Repunched mintmarks on San Francisco Lincoln Wheat Cents document the hand-punching process that placed the S mintmark onto each working die, and this fourth Wexler-designated RPM for the 1942-S cent carries cross-references across three major attribution systems: CONECA RPM #3, Coppercoins 1942S-1MM-003, and Wexler 1942-S 1c WRPM-004. The triple cross-referencing illustrates how different cataloging organizations independently documented the same variety, each assigning identification numbers based on their own sequencing criteria. Repunched mintmarks occur when the mintmark punch was applied more than once, with slight positional differences between impressions leaving traces of the earlier punch on struck coins. San Francisco's 1942 cent production was the last full year before the 1943 zinc-coated steel composition replaced standard copper alloy for wartime conservation. The S mintmark was applied by hand at the Philadelphia Mint before dies were shipped to San Francisco, and minor variations in punch placement were inherent to this manual process. Each RPM for a given date represents a different working die that received its own independently misaligned mintmark application.

Cross References

• CONECA: RPM #3, Coppercoins: 1942S-1MM-003 Comments: The; Wexler Variety ID: 1942-S 1¢ WRPM-004

External References