I found this in a roll recently, and pulled it out as I usually do for pre-'60, the "D" just looked a little different. What do you guys think? The second picture is from coinfacts showing the 1955 D/S. Also the last picture is of the reverse of a 1939, is that an "S" or just dirt, it seems like the mint mark shouldn't be worn that much? Thanks in advance for your replies.
I think it is to worn to give you an honest answer. So i am going to say no its not a D/S on the 55. The 39 looks like it has some dirt to it
Thanks for posting vtvick777! First let's talk about the reverse of the 1939 (your 3rd picture) which is the easier of the two. I agree it almost looks like a 'S' mint mark used to be there. Without more detail and because it seems unlikely to have been worn down so much on the mint mark, I would have to say it is more likely from the Philadelphia mint which did not have a 'P' mint mark on it until 1980 (except for the Silver War Nickel series which had it in the 12 o'clock position on the reverse). Now on to your first picture which you think might be the famed 'D over S'. Without finer details in the picture I cannot give you anything conclusive, however I will give try to assess it as best I can. Post mint damage can distort the mint mark and with the wear present it cannot be ruled out. However, the bottom curve in the 'S' which sort of sticks out making the 'D' look pregnant may be present. That part can get very distorted and in fact the one in the second picture almost runs the full length of the curve of the 'D' resembling what might be present in front of your 'D'. It is hard to tell what if anything is beyond the tails of the 'D' but it does look pretty blobby in the picture. If you cannot take a more detailed picture I would recommend looking inside the hole of the 'D'. It is hard to wear that area and is a good place to look for remnants of the 'S'. There might be something in there but once again it is impossible to tell. It seems like not much is present at the top right of 'D' where the 'S' almost ends other than a glare which makes it hard to see what is there. Without the coin in hand or more detailed pictures I would say their is a possibility it is a D/S but it is impossible at this present time to tell for sure. With all the wear on this coin it may be impossible to tell for sure unless you can see something we can't. Either way I would hold onto it until you can get a better picture or show someone with a trained eye in person. Whether it is or not may not matter much because of the condition but more importantly this shows you are looking for the right things and were right to pull it to the side and ask. The more often you can see one in person the better you will be at spotting them in the future. Obviously the better the condition of the coin the easier it is to distinguish what it is. I wish you the best in your roll hunting! Thanks again Raul
