Is this what is refered to as a no 1989 no vdb? Or should it be not even showing the tinyest bit? It's funny how the lincoln impression is complete but the vdb almost kinda slid down or something. I think they moved the vdb over to the left a little making it into the shallow area.
I'm not so sure about that. Maybe I need to put some better pictures, but the letters aren't worn down. What you are looking at is the top half of the VDB letters still visible, while below of the cut letters seemingly appear be reduced to a stretched shadow of the bottom half on the field. And, there doesn't appear to be any DDD on the date or around lincoln. Is polishing so aggressive as to cut so much off the die?
I guess maybe you're right. But DAMN, that's a hell of a polishing job. More like they took an angle grinder with a flap disk to the thing and ate off a whole millimeter. Dug up another 89 to compare. Here I've tilted the coins to see directly at the lettering.
The VDB is there. Worn, weak or otherwise, it's there. You said you can see the top half of the VDB. A no VDB is nothing is showing. It on a Zinc planchet so these as well as other types of issues will continue to occur as look as the Mint uses Zinc for coins.
