1948-D Repunched Mintmark WRPM-008

Description

Eighth repunched mintmark documented by the Wexler Team for the 1948-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety records a hand-punching error where the D mintmark received multiple impressions at slightly different positions on the working die. During the era when branch mint facilities added mintmarks manually, a die sinker would position the D mintmark punch on the obverse die and strike it with a hammer to embed the letter. If the initial impression was misaligned, off-angle, or insufficiently deep, additional hammer blows at corrected or reinforced positions would produce overlapping mintmark impressions visible on every coin struck from that die. The 1948-D was produced at the Denver Mint with a mintage of 172,637,500 Lincoln Cents — one of the larger production runs of the late 1940s — requiring numerous working dies, each with its own individually punched mintmark. Eight documented RPMs from Denver for this date reflects the probability that among so many dies, multiple punching errors were inevitable. The Wexler classification system tracks the direction and extent of the repunching, noting whether the secondary impression falls north, south, east, west, or at intermediate positions relative to the primary mintmark. Collectors searching rolls and bags of 1948-D cents for RPM varieties benefit from the date's high mintage and corresponding availability. RPM varieties represent one of the most tangible links between modern collectors and the skilled tradesmen who prepared dies at branch mint facilities during the mid-twentieth century, each punching error documenting a momentary lapse in the precise hand-eye coordination required for proper mintmark placement.

Attribution History

• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1948-D 1¢ WRPM-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References