Can anyone tell me why the S mint mark on some 1909 SVDB's is low directly unden the 0, while on other coins the S mint mark is higher and more between the 9 & the 0.
First off, they are not. However, all mintmarks were hand stamped prior to 1980 (?) and can literally wind up anywhere. I am sure that if you looked at enough, you could find you could find other dates with similar positions and in some cases into the date. As for the 09-S VDB, there are 4 positions for that mintmark. See below;
Many thanks rlm's cents. The mint marks I refered to are the first and the fourth in your thumbnails. b bodie