1948-S Repunched Mintmark WRPM-040

Description

Fortieth in the Wexler catalog of repunched mintmarks for the 1948-S Lincoln Wheat Cent, WRPM-040 belongs to one of the most prolific RPM populations in the entire Wheat Cent series — the remarkably high sequence number attests to the sheer volume of mintmark placement errors that occurred at the San Francisco Mint for this date. Each working die received its S mintmark through individual hand-punching, a process where an engraver positioned a steel letter punch on the reverse and struck it with a mallet. With dozens of working dies prepared for a single year's production run, the probability of positional variation across that many individual punching events was substantial, yielding the extraordinary catalog of forty or more documented RPM dies. Cross-referenced as Coppercoins 1948S-1MM-013, this variety carries dual attribution across the Wexler and Coppercoins reference frameworks, though the different numbering sequences reflect the independent cataloging methodologies of each system. Collectors should examine the S mintmark area carefully, as distinguishing WRPM-040 from the other thirty-nine preceding varieties requires precise comparison of the secondary mintmark position.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Eric Axtell Cross References: Coppercoins: 1948S-1MM-013
• Coppercoins: 1948S-1MM-013; Wexler Variety ID: 1948-S 1¢ WRPM-040
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References