1890 Newfoundland One Cent
Victoria · 6 varieties · study revised Feb. 1st 2018
Like many of the other years, the 1890 Large Cent issue is also found with an abundance of Re-punched numbers and Re-engraved Letters, which make the study of this series quite interesting and challenging! At the moment, there are at least six different varieties and others will likely appear as further studies of these large cents continue!
Read Barry's full introduction
The most common of these, is a first Narrow Date variety which is relatively easy to locate in higher grades, but there are also, at least five other variations which are more difficult to find and identify! Considering that there is not much difference between the Narrow and Wide dates, it becomes necessary to look elsewhere in order to make a positive identification of a particular variety. When this situation occurs, there are many Re-engraved letters which can be very helpful for this purpose, however, care must be taken to ensure that any conclusions are accurate. The problem with using these Modified Characters, is that all of these varieties display extensive Alterations to many of the same Letters! The important thing to remember, is that each of these has its own peculiarities, and it becomes important to isolate the differences! In some instances, a particular Letter might appear to be quite unusual or eccentric, but it could possibility reveal the identity of a specific variation!
Another feature which might also be useful, is the Low Positioning of the "0" in the date. All of the known examples have a Low "0" of varying degrees, but a few of these might be helpful with the identification of a variety. For example: the TYPE II (a & c) variations have a Low "0", but they are both Tilted slightly to the Left. This is not conclusive, but it should help to point the way!
The varieties
TYPE I
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TYPE I (a) Narrow Date & Re-Engraved Letters (e.g., "E's" & "F")
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TYPE I (b) Narrow Date, High "9", Low "0" & Re-Engraved Letters (e.g., "N's", "E's", "W" & "F")
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TYPE I (c) Recent Narrow Date & Re-Engraved Letters (e.g., "N's", "E's" & "A")
TYPE II
The Re-Engraved Letter Summary
Nearly all of the Letters for these varieties have been Re-engraved, with varying degrees of the Original Characters still visible. However, some of these are more eye-catching than others. Below is a listing of the 6 known varieties, illustrating the Most important characters, with Bold, underlined Lettering, and those of lesser importance, are just Underlined. By themselves, they do not necessarily reveal the identity of a particular variation, but in combination they do! As an example, the first variety listed here has 2 Major Altered "E's" on the Reverse inscription, which have their own unique characteristics. When they are compared to the same letters from the other varieties, it is easy to see that they are definitely different.
Similarly, this process of comparison can be used for any of these varieties in order to establish the identity of a specific variation.
Note:
[A] - In the following photos, a letter enclosed in a square bracket represents a Prominently
Re-engraved Character, which in itself, could help to identify a specific variety.