The obverse lettering looks like this could have been the case.
Or it is an optical effect from photographing the coin at an angle? In the obverse photo, we can see all of the edge below the bust, and the distance from 9:00 to 3:00 is 15% greater than from 12:00 to 6:00. If this was because the camera was at an angle, it would foreshorten the bust from top to bottom, making the portrait look too wide.
The reference photo was taken with the camera straight on.
Edited by tdziemia
08/03/2020 08:00 am