The images are not much help. Makes it hard to give any type of opinion. There is post mint damage for sure. Obverse is certainly in worse shape than the reverse. Is there a seam around the edge?
Let's put it this way, what you are describing can't happen on a 1979 cent. The date is part of the master hub. In order for it to be reversed on the coin it would have to be reversed on the die, reversed on the working hub, the master die and the master hub. And since ALL of the thousands of working dies come from that same Master Hub ALL of the working dies and ALL of the 1979 cents would have a reversed 7.