I have a 1981 S lincoln penny and has a s mint mark so tiny you can miss it it took a magnifier to see it and it located far belowe the date on the low side of the coin rim.
A photo is needed to tell for sure, but almost sure it is not a displaced mint mark if it is close to the rim and much smaller than the loop in the " 9" of the date. Probably a coincidental ding. Jim
It may look like an 's', but it has to be in context. I have coins with 's' squiggle marks on them , but they aren't the font and size that the mint used at that time. OMM have to have mint mark punch characteristics to be the real thing. With both 1944 OMM-001 and OMM-002, the S is right under the D. Jim
Welcome to CT. It's not a proof or a mint mark. I don't think it looks like a dropped letter but I have seen very few of them. I'm thinking it's reed marks from a different coin.
those are some pretty weird pictures. Can you go to a well lit room and take them again. But make sure the camera is flat towards to cent so everyone can see the entire cent in focus instead of just a blob in-focus ?
It's not a proof. So it's not an S mint mark. I do see the "S" you are talking about, but more experienced people will have to tell you what it is. If it "were" an S mm, it would be impossible to be in that position, as the S is in the die that made the coin. (Underneath the center of the date.)
Welcome to CT. I can see why you think it is a S. But if it was done at the mint there would be hundreds, if not thousands more. I, too, would like to see clearer photos and THEN wait to see what the far more experienced CT folks say. Steve