Newfoundland 1880 5 Cent For Grading

It really does look better in hand. Check out these alternate photos...

I'm in at F 12

Picking up and oldie here:

The NFLD 5c and 10c often show a significant divergence in grade between obverse and reverse. For obvious reasons we all gravitate to the obverse but it's kind of a pity as the reverse is what sets these coins apart imho. Readily legible in hand, which is more than you can say for the equivalent Canadian issue with all its frilly maple leaves and myopia-inducing lettering. It's just such a simple, effective, attractive design. It's why these are so eminently collectable in my view. A well struck NFLD nickel or dime will keep its reverse no matter how beers it buys on Water St. I love these coins....

This one is no exception. I would put the obverse at VG10....or....maybe F12. Extra points for a decent ear and some laurel details are what takes it up. But the reverse is easily F15...maybe even AVF. The 3-D is retained in all the little loops and dots and, aside from a little weakness in the 'N' and second '8' the printing is bold and clear. Tthe rims and fields are also stellar.

I think that argument likely applies to all the 5c and 10c minted before the 20th century. Exactly how many are left sounds like a good question for Barry Borselino.

Barry, ye sage of Newfoundland numismatics, says that most of the more rare NFLD coins escaped what he refers to as the great melt of 1969-75 as they'd already been identified as rare. But they'd mostly been circulated beyond and inch of their lives so specimens like the one you posted are rare. How rare is anyone's guess.

Follow up from Barry - and this tells you a lot about the guy.... the world's most dedicated numismatist....

"To date, I have counted 230, 1873 5 Cent pieces (all varieties) and over 4,500, 1945 coins of both varieties. The 1873 was over a period of 5 years or so and the1945 coins was probably over a dozen years. We also know the common denominators of 40,000 and 203,828 respectively for the original mintages of these coins, which means that I have accounted for .575% & 2.208% of these two 5 Cent dates. The two dates are separated by 72 years which means that many of these older coins likely survived, but might have been worn beyond the point of recognition over this extended period of time. However, I was still able (as a single individual) to find 230 coins and still counting!

I cannot give you an exact number that exists for any of these specific dates, but I strongly believe that many are still around, and likely can be found in the most unlikely places! That is particularly true of the smaller coins which can be lost so easily! "

I think mostly photographs he's found at the assorted online auctions, primarily ebay but also the assorted locals - Geoffrey Bell and all that. He collects the photographs, examines and catalogues them by variety and establishes rough estimates of scarcity and that sort of thing. It's all quite amazing... he likes to point out that he's just one guy and that other people have likely found lots of things that he has not. There may be a shred of truth to that but I know of no one on this planet who is doing the sort of detailed forensic work that he's doing. At least when it comes to Newfoundland (primarily) and Canadian (secondary) coins.

I think it's just a labour of love. There's a website in the works that will - apparently - describe all of these varieties. Some - like the 1945 narrow date - are pretty significant alterations to the coin (visible by eye). Others are pretty much microscopic in nature. He has categories for all of them...