Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="BadThad, post: 1171497, member: 17261"]There was a temporary design change in LMC where they reduced the fineness of the steps to the coarse 8 step design. It has nothing to do with wear, the steps don't wear like that. They just tend to smooth out but keep their definition. Before the steps show that much wear the cornice will be almost gone. There is no official FS designation on LMC's like nickels....it's very unfortunate! The step design on the LMC is MUCH more intricate than you find on a nickel and finding FS examples is VERY challenging. Personally, I go the extra mile to find LMC's with full and complete steps. One of the toughest years is the 1968-S, which is the key date (lowest mintage) to the series. Almost all 1968-S's do not have FS. This is an example where you'll see the TPG's completely ignore the steps as most of the high-grade, slabbed coins I've seen do not have full steps.....but strong luster makes them MS-67 up. LOL A dedicated LMC collector will reject coins with less than perfect steps where possible...however, there's at least one or two years where the reverse master hubs had a steps almost obliterated....so it's not always possible.[/QUOTE]