Hello. I came across this 1982 D large date, bronze. First thing I noticed was the "E" in LIBERTY appears to have an "S" or a "5" over it. New to collecting LMC's, and can't find anything about it. Can anyone help me?
Simple.. The letter E took a hit. It changed the appearance. Just circulation wear and rear. It is not a Mint Error.
Thanks. I don't disagree. Just appears that the E is still intact under the S shaped "hit". I would've been wrong on this one. It seems as though there is something under the B as well. Do you have any ideas to what that might be?
The Letter L also took a hit. It's not a Mint Error of any kind. Copper is amazing. It can be moved, changed in different forms. Check out this thread I created - https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-liberyy-cent-enigma.309022/ There is no reason to strike a 5 or a letter S over any other letter.
Welcome to the neighborhood! The sad thing is that we get a lot of people coming here after they have stumbled across a "numismatic know-it-all" on BoobTube. Most of the time, these geniuses could care less about the accuracy of their information. All they care about is the "likes" they get. Stick around! You'll learn a lot more here. Chris
Thanks for the help and hospitality. I really appreciate it. Not stupid, just ignorant. There's a big difference! Thanks again, and I will definitely look here for further information.
Keep in mind when you are looking at letters and numbers you will associate things that you see to letters and numbers. Thus the "appears to have an "S" or a "5" over it." is correct, it appears to be. What you have is not quite an "S" looking and not quite a "5" looking damage hit. But it's "close enough" to an S or 5 to think it looks like one. It just happened to take a hit there and push metal over to make it kinda look like an S or 5. The hardest thing about coins and damage is learning to be unbiased in what you see.
For people who want to know more about the difference: https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n11a09.html