I have manage to accumulate a lot of “junk silver”. I thought I might use a little of my holiday to peruse some of it. I had a brief moment of childlike excitement when I put this one under the loupe... Sadly, we will never know.
You might be able to see more details with a scope of higher magnification, but that rim does look pretty gone. Yet I'm often amazed at what I can see under my USB scope. Worth a try?
See if the coin has a slight die rotation. One die pair does. If it is rotated, send it in and take the shot.
I had two that I thought might have been contenders. Close, but no cigar methinks . . . . The reverse on the bottom one IS rotated CW about 10 degrees . . . . . . Z
Easiest way is to hold it up to a mirror and see if the reverse is in or out of alignment with the obverse:
Oh man.... I may have to get better glasses or something..... I did notice that. But how the dickens could you ever know it wasn’t an “S”?... Or any other anomaly for that matter. But yes, that does make it very intriguing!
An expert in die varieties might know. I've been shocked what members on this site have been able to determine. Z
I remember the 1916 I found as a kid...I flipped it over and saw a letter...be still my heart...and it was an "s"
I wonder if a die variety can be verified on a coin this worn. I am thinking the best marker is the slight die rotation that Insider offered up. He is a professional grader and I figure if anyone would know, it would be him.
My grandfather gave me a VF in his will. It made me nervous when I touched it and I offed it like it was cursed. Can’t remember the price but it seemed like a lot at the time.