Nickel 1953 mintmark

[Morsecode]

Found this one tonight...did the best I could photo-wise, balancing a loupe and the cell phone.

Looks very much like D over S, which is not listed for 1953. There's a 1938, a 1949 and a 1955 D over S, and a 1954 S over D...but no 1953. I dunno. Looks like something under there.

[Computer Jones]

Looks like it was soldered on.
Maybe somebody is practicing to make a more valuable fake?

[Morsecode]

Interesting point. The crooks would have to practice somewhere, right?

For now, it goes in the Curious Box. At some point I'll let my coin shop guru put it under his microscope.

[Know Common Cents]

Really do hope you have a winner here and make coin fame with the 1953 D/S.

To my aging eye, though, it looks like a 1953 D over crud or perhaps a die crack.

Keep us posted. Good luck.

[henrysmedford]

I asked Mike Diamond " see below" his thoughts.

And--

Just looks like crud to me.

Mike

Mike Diamond has been collecting, researching, and writing about error coins since 1997. He currently writes the thrice-monthly column "Collector's Clearinghouse" for the national coin weekly Coin World. He usually has at least one article in every issue of Errorscope, the bi-monthly magazine of CONECA, the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America.

Mike served as President of CONECA for two full terms and was a board member for several cycles previous to his election as President. He is one of two error examiners for the club.

Mike has discovered, defined, or refined the understanding of countless error types of the years, including design ablation errors, stutter strikes, invisible strikes, ejection impact doubling, stiff collar errors, "greasy ghosts", atypical chain strikes, external chain strikes, rim-restricted design duplication, die subsidence errors, and surface film effects.

[johnbrickner]

"D on Crud". Sounds like something you don't want to order at a diner.

[Morsecode]

More than likely, yeah. But the crud has open loops at top & bottom...soooo, maybe it'll grade as "S-shaped crud"

My man Harold will have a look at it next week. I came upon some colonials that require his opinion, and I'll bring the Curious Box with me.

[TheJonasCollegeFund]

Some better pics would help. I think it looks interesting.