According to Rob Turner and his great book, The 1858 Cents Of Provincial Canada, Vol 2) which is all about the 1859/8 large cents, there are at least 13 Reverse dies. The mint took existing 1858 working dies that were already made and handpunched a different fatter/wider font "9" over the 8. Early on in Canadian numismatics they called these repunched coins "wide 9's" to differentiate them from the normal narrow 9's. I think that 9/8 came into casual use during the 50's & 60's and, when Charlton started using it, then it became the actual common name of 9/8's.
If you ever get the opportunity, pick up a copy of all of Rob's books. They are an absolute "must" for any large cent collector's library .. expensive, but they are the "bible" for Vicky Canadian Cents. There is the original "The 1858 Cents of Provincial Canada", which has the history of the legislation that created our coinage, as well as the methods and manner of the manufacturing and minting. Then it has a complete rundown of each individual 1858 working die and their marriages, along with extrapolated populations/scarcities with accompanying numbering system. The photography and markers are outstanding. Ditto for the volume 2, which covers the 9/8, again with numbering, all dies/marriages and markers. Both books are a prerequisite for any die tracker.
Then there is "Dies and Diadems", which covers the growth and advancement of the Vicky large cent through all of the modifications, iterations and changes that ensued from the 1876 Reverse 1 through to Obverse 4 late 90's minting. That book has the individual die tracking of the 1891's with, again, excellent photos and populations.scarcities. The last volume currently available is the die trackers guide to the 1890 and 1892 Vicky cents, advancing and further refining the information in "Dies and Diadems.
Your coin has seen lots of circulation, so it's difficult to see any markers that could be present, but I think that I see D/c's at leafs 5 and 9. I can't be sure without seeing it in-hand, but I would say that your coin is Turner Reverse RD9, which was used on about 17% of all the 9/8's minted. Any 9/8 is a keeper.
Posted 02/19/2018 2:03 pm
. Got it back today 
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