1980S SUSAN B ANTHONY DOLLAR BUSINESS STRIKE COIN NOT PROOF RPM?

[rbroederer]

I am looking at a very nicely toned 1980S Susan B Anthony Dollar. The coin is a business strike coin and NOT a proof coin. I see what appears to be an original mint mark to the southeast of the final mint mark. The anomaly does not look to me like MDD as it is not flat or shelf-like but appears to me to be rounded. I see no listings for any RPMs for Susan B Anthony dollars. I do see a variety on ANACS titled 'DBL STRUCK' and have no knowledge of this variety. I see two possible die markers. There is a die crack on the bust and the designers initials are extremely weak/almost non-existent. Thoughts or comments?

[mustbebob]

I don't know what the anomaly is SE of the mintmark. It does not appear to be a repunching though. I just can't tell.

[MintErrors]

I am looking at a very nicely toned 1980S Susan B Anthony Dollar. The coin is a business strike coin and NOT a proof coin. I see what appears to be an original mint mark to the southeast of the final mint mark. The anomaly does not look to me like MDD as it is not flat or shelf-like but appears to me to be rounded. I see no listings for any RPMs for Susan B Anthony dollars. I do see a variety on ANACS titled 'DBL STRUCK' and have no knowledge of this variety. I see two possible die markers. There is a die crack on the bust and the designers initials are extremely weak/almost non-existent. Thoughts or comments?

So do you own these coins or are you looking to purchase them with a slight potential for them to have a variety ?

The area around the mint mark appears to have scratches from die maintenance and it is difficult to say if there is anything else worthy there. If one has to magnify the area above 10x magnification, then it may simply be returned with a "minor" designation.

Looking at the overall S mintmark, to me it looks thinner at the bottom than anywhere else. I do not feel the love in calling this an RPM or any other variety.

Designer initials are plagued with grease, debris and die chips. All dies made for the year have the designer initials so when then start to fade it shows up as die wear or simply being nearly removed due to die maintenance, the letters being clogged or simply a weaker strike than normal.

Double struck coins as business strikes in not normal. Proof coins typically receive more than one strike.. the business strikes, if they get more than on strike, there is usually some tell tale signs. They get the 2nd or additional strikes off center or off axis and the strikes are usually noticeable.

Let me be blunt a bit on this subject. If a variety has not been found on this coin year in the last 42 years, one probably does not exist.

Then we have to logically assume what this really could be. To me, it is not significant enough either way. I will look the photos over once more but, machine doubling, strike doubling, mechanical damage or otherwise happens and it it typically is dependent on the location and conditions surrounding the striking of the coin. We do not know all of this since every strike can be mildly different.

[Kloccwork419]

Its not double struck and SE of the MM could be a die scratch like the ones on the E going the same direction NE-SW. Theres also deterioration. You talking about the upper serif of the MM?

[oldgaloot]

It appears to me to be die deterioration.

[rbroederer]

Hello Bob, Gary, Kloccwork419 and Oldaloot, Thanks for the flurry of responses. Not to beat a dead horse, I have enhanced one of the pictures to show the anomaly I am talking about. To answer your question Gary, The subject coin is a part of my collection. I am a lifelong collector of 60+ years and own over 10,000 certified coins and upwards of 100,000 raw coins. I am trying to advance my knowledge of varieties and errors. I finally have the time to enjoy my collection and am interested in maximizing its value.

[MintErrors]

Again, look how thick the area is from the top of the mintmark through beginning of bottom curve. To me this area is wider than the area in question.
It is probably just a touch of machine doubling. When there is obvious signs of die maintenance in the area of question, this strongly suggests to me anyway that something was wrong there. The die probably had some damage, the mint worker seen it and polished off the issue.

When varietyvista.com does not list a single RPM for the entire SBA series, it tells me the odds just got slimmer.

As a last resort you could make an overlay of this coin. It's very important to know that just seeing things on coins needs to be a logical approach. People need to ensure if they see more than one item, that the separation should be equal amounts. Super imposing one "S" over the other, or even using tracing paper over the issue, painstakingly copying just the primary mint mark and then sliding that image over to the other mintmark, they should match - if they used the exact same mint mark punch, in case of a potential RPM.

The easiest and free open source software for overlays for me was paint.net . Working in network security, I will caution you to ensure the software is valid and scan it with a active, updated antimalware product. Use at your own risk.
It can be found here:
https://www.dotpdn.com/downloads/pdn.html

I personally don't feel this is anything major since that area in question is almost half the thickness of the rest of the "S". If the magnification is over 10X, many of the attributers would consider it minor anyway should it be sent in for a variety check and confirmed, but I have my doubts this is an RPM.

[rbroederer]

Hello Gary, Thanks for the update and the source. Bruce