1947-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-008

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1947-S 1-cent WRPM-008 and cross-referenced as CONECA RPM #6 and Coppercoins 1947S-1MM-006, this Lincoln Wheat Cent displays a repunched S mintmark — the result of the San Francisco mintmark punch being applied to the working die, then repositioned and applied again, leaving traces of both impressions. The die documentation tracks two distinct die states with contrasting marker profiles: Stage A on the obverse shows northwest-to-southeast die scratches above and to the left of the 1 and 9 in the date, circular die scratches about Lincoln's ear, and a die crack running from just above the eye northward then westward on the head. Stage B on the obverse shows none of these markers — they were abraded away, indicating the die was polished between states, removing the surface markers while preserving the deeper repunched mintmark. The same pattern holds for the reverse: Stage A shows die scratches inside the lower C of CENT, a north-south die scratch at the upper U of UNITED, and a northwest-to-southeast die scratch from the L of PLURIBUS to the dome. Stage B shows all Stage A markers abraded away, with only a die chip on the upper edge of the right wheat stem remaining, plus a weakened secondary mintmark impression — the polishing that removed the Stage A markers also partially diminished the repunched mintmark's visibility. The Lincoln Wheat Cent was designed by Victor David Brenner and struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1947 from 95% copper at 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. The documented die polishing between states A and B provides a rare direct record of die maintenance in the numismatic evidence, illustrating how mint workers' efforts to extend die life could alter or diminish diagnostic markers — including the very repunching that defines this variety.

Attribution History

• CONECA: RPM #6, Coppercoins: 1947S-1MM-006; Wexler Variety ID: 1947-S 1¢ WRPM-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References