Mercury folks: is this an inverted mintmark?

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DennisH
DennisH Posts: 14,041 ✭✭✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum
Found this on a 1942-S while looking through newly graded commons. It pretty much jumped out at me the instant I put a loupe on it. I don't collect Mercs so I don't know if these are common. It's not in the Wexler-Flynn "Treasure Hunting Mercury Dimes" book. Any help/comments would be appreciated.

image
When in doubt, don't.

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  • pursuitofliberty
    pursuitofliberty Posts: 7,927 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Although at first glance it would appear to be, it is not IMO.

    What I see is a trumpet-tail MM that was not set square to the die, with the top of the S being deeply impressed and the bottom of the S lightly impressed.

    JMHO


    “We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”

    Todd - BHNC #242
  • DennisH
    DennisH Posts: 14,041 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Thanks Todd! That's a scenario I had not considered, and it does explain things well.
    When in doubt, don't.
  • 57loaded
    57loaded Posts: 4,967 ✭✭✭
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    there are aliens from Mercury here on this board?

    image
  • emzee
    emzee Posts: 1,868 ✭✭✭
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    It is a normally-oriented trumpet-tail s.

    I am not a merc guy particularly, but I have a nice collection of 1940's s -mint variety coins. I am looking at illustrations in Numistmatist May 1999 article re 1941-1949 s mintmark styles as a reference. 1942-s 10c were made with 2 mint mark styles, large s and trumpet-tail s.

    The 1942-s trumpet-tail s has "a sharp upper serif and a rounded, trumpet-shaped lower serif. Bottom curve of s is usually thinner than top curve".

    The 1942-s 10c, large s "has long, sharp upper and lower serifs". These serifs run parallel and extend both above and below the limbs they arise from.

    IMO The s mint mark pictured is a normally-oriented trumpet-tail s, similar to reference picture in the article.

    I would also speculate that when the mm was punched into this die, the punch was slightly skewed from perpendicular. Subsequently,when the fields of the die were polished/repolished, the lower limb of the s was polished away somewhat, resulting in the extremely attenuated appearance of the lower 1/2 of the s depicted.

    Michael

  • DennisH
    DennisH Posts: 14,041 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Michael: Thanks for the great information and education!
    When in doubt, don't.
  • DIMEMAN
    DIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    No, as stated above just the ordinary trumpet tail.
  • fcloud
    fcloud Posts: 12,133 ✭✭✭✭
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    For those who want to see what the 1942 inverted S looks like.

    There are three in this image and another 1942 s (with serifs) for comarison.

    image

    President, Racine Numismatic Society 2013-2014; Variety Resource Dimes; See 6/8/12 CDN for my article on Winged Liberty Dimes; Ebay

  • TexasNationals
    TexasNationals Posts: 3,837 ✭
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    Tilted MM punch IMO.

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