Mercury 1943-S Trumpet Tail S; please educate me.

EarnestMoney

I have a gem in PCGS MS66FB in the old green slip holder. I plan to sell it one of these days, but I would like to learn as much as possible about it for now.

There is a good article about it at numismedia.com by Fivaz and Stanton. I think it is entitled, "The Marvelous Mercury Dime."

I understand it is the single rarest variety in the entire series in full bands as there was just one set of dies used.

When was the Trumpet Tail S first discovered?
Was it accidentally minted during WWII like the 42/1 overdate or was it deliberately minted with the so-called Trumpet Tail?
Where can I read more about it?
Did Breen or Fivaz & Stanton write more about it elsewhere?
Do the population reports say anything about it?

I personally know of only two other examples in MS65FB and possibly one more in MS66FB.

I sold my 1943-S MS68FB (regular S) awhile back for a significant profit. I kept my Trumpet Tail S, because I consider it far more special.

I appreciate your time and input.

Regards,
Dan Lay

DHeath

Dan,

There was a good article in the Numismatist last year. I'll look and see if I still have it. I don't see them mentioned in Breen.

EarnestMoney

Thanks, Don, for the input! I found a couple great old articles from The Numismatist at the ANA's website. I will check with some local friends for their hard copies of The Numismatist from last summer.

My 1943-S Trumpet Tail S is indeed proving to be as ultra rare as I thought, especially in gem full bands.

Does anyone have the FS (Fivaz/Stanton) number for this coin?

I have gotten away from the hobby a bit, and now I wonder if PCGS or NGC have certified any Trumpet Tail S's as such. Could someone be so kind as to check the pop reports for me?

Again, thank you folks so very much for your time and input.

Regards,
Dan Lay