1954-S RPM-6 West

This is one of the [six?] 54-S varieties that has the mint mark directly below the 5. VV has it going to stage L, but with with no die chip in the 9. While CC shows it in a late die state with the chip.

The nub inside the top curve of the MM is one of the markers for this variety [green circle]. My copy appears to be stage L with die cracks to the rim for each wheat ear [which VV describes as VLDS, yet no die chip in the 9].

VV CC-MDS CC-LDS

Die stage and die state are different. Coppercoins lists die states only and does not list die stages at all, whereas Variety Vista will continue expanding on the die stages when each subsequent evaluation shows something that wasn't there on the previous example. As you saw in your own example, you can have a VLDS coin that is a stage L but in some attribution guides would probably need to be stage M or N when the die chip finally occurs. While I was attributing for coppercoins, we decided at the time that just listing the main die states was adequate. Of course, at that time, we had no idea how many thousands of varieties would be listed 25 years later (and that is just for Lincoln cents).