1894 Newfoundland One Cent
Victoria · 6 varieties · study revised Feb. 2nd 2018
It is not particularly difficult to find a fairly nice example of this date, but if a collector is looking for a specific variety, it might prove to be a formidable challenge! Presently, there are at least 9 different variations, which display both major and minor idiosyncrasies, and it is still quite possible that others may eventually surface.
Read Barry's full introduction
These now consist of three Narrow, and Five Medium Dates, as well as a very scarce Wide Date variety. The key to the identification of these different variations, lies with the positioning of the "4" over one of Three ornamental beads, which are located directly below it. In each instance, The Vertical section of the “4” will point to slightly different positions over these beads (which are Centered above a single Acorn in the Wreath).
In addition, another very important feature which will help to recognize these different varieties, can be found with the Lettering on the Reverse side Inscription. Here it can be seen that many of these Letters have been noticeably Re-engraved, giving them their own particular characteristics! Some, like the final "N" of the first variety, have been so extensively altered that, in itself, it would define this variation!
While examining the date, it can be easily seen that there are some significant differences in the size of the Gaps between the "8" and "9" for some of these variations. This characteristic can be quite useful in the determination of a specific variety.
The varieties
TYPE I
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TYPE I (a) Narrow Date, Heavily Re-Engraved "N" (in "LAND") & Narrow Gap "89"
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TYPE I (b) Narrow Date, Extensively Repunched "8", Narrow Gap "89" & Re-Engraved "A", "N" & "D" (in "LAND")
TYPE II
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TYPE II (a) Medium Date, Re-Engraved "CENT" & Narrow "89"
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TYPE II (b) Medium Date, Re-Engraved "F" & Narrow "89"
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TYPE II (c) Medium Date, Re-Engraved "E's" & Wide "89"
TYPE III
The Re-Engraved Letter Summary
This date is very similar to the 1890 coinage, which also has an extensive group of Altered Letters that can found on its Reverse side Legend. Of course, these Modifications make collecting these varieties more interesting, but there is still the problem of trying to establish the identity of a particular variation. The following list illustrates some of the more interesting Modified characters which might be useful for this purpose. However, care must be taken to thoroughly examine each example so that there is no doubt as to the coin's true identity. With this group, it is too easy to make an incorrect assumption! The more significant Re-engraved Letters have been underlined, and those that are the most outstanding, are in Large, Bold Letters. As an example of this, the final "N" in the TYPE I (a) variation, has such a prominently Altered Letter, that it can be used to positively identify this variety!
TYPE III - WD ONE CENT NEWFOUNDLAND
Note: On the following photos, many of the Re-engraved letters have been highlighted with
a bracket, [A], in order to emphasize the more extensively altered letters. Several
of these will be very useful, with the identification of a particular variety.