I messaged the seller: Doesn't the raised S MM on the rim throw up a red flag for you? His reply: Yes, it does. I pulled the listing (takes a few minutes) for closer examination. Thanks for pointing that out. If it is fake it won't be the first I have gotten in this date/mint. I didn't ask about the other 2. I'll wait for his opinion on this one. I've never seen the MM under the C before and I've collected, bought and sold Buffaloes for over 20 years.
I think the s may have been punched onto a regular 1921 nickel... The fact that the s is still intact is a sign of this, along with the placement.
Great imagination! Looks like the rim took a small hit and formed what looks like an S mint mark on the rim.
I think it is just an extremely overused reverse die that pushed outward from the center. You can see it in the lettering as well as the position of the front and rear of the bison closeness to the rim. Look at the other 3 examples, the lettering enlarges and merges at well. Die deterioration . IMO, Jim
It isn't possible to have the mintmark ON the rim. The portion that forms the top surface of the rim is lower than the field of the coin and in theory slightly lower than the deepest parts of the design. To get the mintmark on both the field and the rim it would have to be punched in deeper than the deepest areas of the buffalo. And even then it would only just be beginning to show on the top surface of the rim. Next problem is the mintmark on the rim would be the highest feature on the coin and the first area to wear away. This mintmark is sharp on the rim, not worn. I'm calling it a fake or altered coin.
