1940 Newfoundland 10 Cents

Judging from the number of varieties which appeared during this period, it would probably be safe to assume that the mint was less interested in their quality control than it was with quickly supplying the Island with enough coins to satisfy their needs. After all, the Second World War had just begun and Newfoundland had been thrust right into the middle of this global conflict! The importance of the deep sea harbour in St. John's, brought thousands of troops to the Island, while en-route to Europe. With their arrival, came the increased demand for the local currency!

With only 100,000 ten cent coins minted during 1940, this represents the lowest mintage number for all of the war-time years (excluding the production numbers for 1946 and 1947 which were Post War years). At the moment, there are at least seven major varieties which exist and likely, more will be discovered in the future!

The varieties fall into two basic groups which consist of both Narrow and Wide date variations. These in turn, have been further divided into sub-varieties which are the result of the extensively re-engraved dies. For years, collectors and dealers have known that many of the coins minted in 1940 had been Altered but most did not realize that there were specific differences within this group! None of these individual modifications has really received the recognition that it truly deserves, however, in this edition, they will be thoroughly examined and described as objectively as possible!