1946-S Lincoln- Ball Serif Mint Mark?

Yes, that's it. And in BU (yours is MS63RD or MS64RD) I would venture a value five times that of the other mintmark types. I currently show a value of $11 for a 1946S in MS64RD. While that may be a little high, it's not far off the mark. I would say $8 is a little more accurate, making the ball serif style easily a $40 coin.

The ball-serif is the least populous of three mintmark styles used in 1946 by the San Francisco mint. A recent study conducted by this writer shows that by estimate only 5% of the overall 1946S cent production was the ball-serif style, while the other 95% were either serif (large S) or sans-serif styles.

Confusion sets in when people view coins with this mintmark style. They aren't sure which serif is supposed to be on top. Well, actually the mintmark was designed to have the ball on the bottom, but the mint used the mintmark up-side down consistently. So, to that effect, 'normal' positioning is to have the ball on the top and the triangle, or 'trumpet tail' on the bottom.

There is one known die to have the mintmark punched with the ball on the bottom (which would be inverted according to the normal way the mint aligned the mintmark). Yours DOES appear to be inverted. You should check that. If yours is inverted, it would be the first known red MS example, and I would figure after holdered the coin would be worth hundreds. It's a little difficult to tell from the image provided, so you'll have to check it. If the triangle is on top and the ball on bottom, you have a very valuable coin there!

By the way, I have been watching rolls, shops, and coin shows for UNC ball-serif mintmarks for better than ten years now, purchasing every one I can get my hands on. So far over the past ten or so years I've managed to purchase seven BU red coins with the ball-serif mintmark. They are truly scarce.

Would anyone be so kind as to either post pictures of the 3 different mint mark styles... or direct me to a sire where I can see them?

Thanks

Beautiful coin even without the serif bonus. Now I know about those. Supposedly, knowledge is power (!) but a little knowledge is a dangerous and not very profitable thing.

That's the regular 'large' or 'serif' mintmark. The most common one.

Thanks, CC!

Chuck, please help me understand. I have been looking at all of my 1944,45,46 Wheat S-mints. The 1946 "gettingbrowned" posted you call the regular "large or serif" mint mark style. The website florida posted to Coneca shows three styles for 1946. They are by their number and definition MMS (mint mark style) 004 or Trumpet Tail Style, MMS-06 or Ball Serif and MMS-007 or San Serif. The one they call Straight Serif or MMS-005 was only for yrs 1943 and 44.

Please meld their terminology with your description. Is their Trumpet Tail the "large or serif" mint mark you use to describe gettingbrowned's coin? For the life of me I cannot figure out what makes his coin one or the other. One thing for certain, with normal wear and damage for these years the mint mark is pretty much indiscernible. Mine are driving me to drink.

Thx, Jim

Ok, I am at the limits of my old camera, hopefully the lighting is not too bad

Jedichef - That's the large S, serif S mintmark...there are only three for 1946S...

Large S or serif S is the one you have in your post.
Sans serif is not shown in this thread, but it has no serifs at all.
Ball serif is the one Biokemist has.

And Biokemist - if the last picture you posted is the same coin as in the first post, the mintmark is right side up. The ball is supposed to be on the top and the triangle at the bottom.