1940 Newfoundland 5 Cents
George VI · 7 varieties · study revised Dec. 14th 2019
In 1940, Canada began to mint a series of 1, 5 and 10 Cent coins bearing the portrait of King George VI. Nearly all of the coins issued during this period had the distinctive "C" Mint Mark of the Ottawa Mint, punched into the Reverse Side, either at the bottom or in the case of the One Cent coins, on the right hand side. However, in 1940 the "C" was omitted from all three denominations of that year's production (the "C" was also omitted from the 1942 one cent coins as well). This year was also to be the beginning of what was to be an avalanche of varieties that would last throughout the rest of the war years and into the final year of the Newfoundland coinage.
Read Barry's full introduction
Beginning In 1940, at least six significant varieties appeared and there are likely others still waiting to be discovered! All of these known variances are centered around the last two digits in the date, with the "0" being the main player. Of these, there is an even mixture of Wide and Narrow Date variations, but the differences among them are minimal at best! Most of these varieties display various degrees of Re-punching to the "4" and "0", however, some examples are more eye-catching than others!
Also, observing the size of the Gap between the "0" and the Ornamental Loop, can be most useful with the recognition of a specific variation. By doing this, it can be easily seen that there are noticeable differences among these varieties. In addition, the last two digits of the date are often found to show interesting signs of Re-punching, but each of these has its own unique characteristics!
The varieties
TYPE I
TYPE II
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TYPE II (a) Narrow Date, High "40", Re-punched "4" (High "0")
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TYPE II (b) Narrow Date, High "4" & Lower, Re-punched "0"
