1917-D odd mint mark location

[ColoDano]

I have recently being buying bulk pennies and going through them...rather tedious but rewarding. Anyway, I found a 1917-D last weekend that is unlike any I have seen before. The mint mark is so close to the date that the top of the D is actually higher that the bottom of the 9 in 1917.

Does anyone have any information about what appears to me to be a die variety.

Many Thanks!

[coppercoins]

Hello ColoDano,

What you have is not all too uncommon. Because the mintmarks were placed into the dies by hand, they can appear in a number of different locations from die to die. The one you found happens to be high. This is actually rather common in many different years in the Lincoln cent series.

It is not considered a die variety, because this is a specific tern used for specific anomalies. A mintmark that is shifted slightly north of normal position isn't really an anomaly, because if it's under the digits of the date and in front of the bust, it's within tolerance of where it should be.

A die variety, specifically, is an anomaly caused by doubling on the die that made the coins. It is caused at the time the die is made, much like the position of your mintmark...but because the mintmark is not doubled (a repunched mintmark) it is not technically called a die variety.

[pennyhound]

Have to agree ... and by the number of your post/s, there ... welcome aboard, hope to hear from you more on these forum/s, go ahead we don't bite ... less we very hungry ... lol.

Remeber, the only dum question, is the one that wasn'r asked.

Welcome aboard.