1972 D LMC The 2 Looks Almost Like The Small Date 2 On A 1982

Not sure of what you're asking.

Larger, high resolution photos may help us better distinguish what may be going on with the 2--if anything.

The reason it is starting to look like the '2' on the 1982 is that the master hub is just starting to swell. But 1982 the master hub had reached the point where they needed to make a new master hub. So most years they could wait, but this year, they didn't and created the new master hub, creating what is called a large date (The older master hubs design) and the small date, the new master hubs coins. How do I know that this happened? I took an image of the normal small date:

Then with Photoshop, I altered the coin to enlarge from the center of the design and move it towards the rim direction:

That is what happens when the master hub starts swelling outwards. Then side by side they look like this:

Note how the Liberty moves and the date moves towards the rim? Also note how the head is larger? Loo familiar?



So what is a master hub? Take a look at how the design is passed down the line to create coin dies:


CoopHome: What does swelling of the master hub create?