Analysis follows:
THIS VARIETY OF CANADA 1891 5 CENT (PCGS 674038.64/3692783),
HAS THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS:
OBVERSE DIAGNOSTICS:
THE OF2 HEAD IS USED FOR THE 8/8 VARIETY PICTURED IN THE CHARLTON 2011 EDITION. ALSO LISTED AS “5 cents 1891 - Obverse # 2 - 8/8”
IN THE COINSANDCANADA WEBSITE.
THE SUBJECT COIN EXHIBITS THIS SAME OF2 HEAD ALONG WITH THE 8/8 REVERSE. THE SUBJECT COIN OBVERSE OF2 IS IN ADDITION, A LATE DIE STATE, AS IT EXHIBITS ALL THE REPUNCHINGS INDICATED BELOW AS WELL AS STRONG CLASHING:
TRIPLING IS NOTED AT THE BOTTOM LEFT OF THE 'V' IN 'VICTORIA'.
THE UPPER LEFT SIDE, UPPER RIGHT 'VEE' TO THE LEFT OF THE UPPER RIGHT SERIF AND THE LOWER RIGHT END OF THE 'C' OF 'VICTORIA' APPEAR DOUBLED (SEE IMAGES BELOW).
THE TOP LEFT OF THE UPPER LEFT SERIF,THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE UPPER RIGHT SERIF, THE UPPER RIGHT SIDE OF THE UPRIGHT AND THE BOTTOM OF THE 'T' OF 'VICTORIA' APPEAR DOUBLED.
THE OUTSIDE UPPER LEFT, LOWER LEFT & RIGHT AND THE BOTTOM OF THE 'O' OF 'VICTORIA' APPEAR DOUBLED, AS EVIDENCED BY THE CW AND CCW SPIKES APPENDED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE 'O' ALONG WITH THE 'GHOST OF A COMPLETED 'O' ADJACENT TO THE BOTTOM.
THE 'D' OF 'DEI' APPEARS DOUBLED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE UPRIGHT AND AT THE END OF THE LOWER LEFT SERIF.
THE 'G' OF 'GRATIA' EXHIBITS DOUBLING AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE UPPER RIGHT SERIF. HEAVY DOUBLING OR A LARGE, HEAVY, DIE GOUGE IS NOTED UNDER THE 'T' OF 'GRATIA'. THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE UPPER RIGHT SERIF OF THE 'T' IN 'GRATIA' ALSO APPEARS DOUBLED.
THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE UPPER RIGHT SERIF AND THE LOWER RIGHT END OF THE 'C' IN 'CANADA' APPEAR DOUBLED.
THE BOTTOM RIGHT SIDE OF THE LOWER LEFT FOOT OF THE FIRST 'A' IN 'CANADA' APPEARS SLIGHTLY DOUBLED.
THE BOTTOM OF THE LOWER LEFT FOOT AND THE INSIDE TOP OF THE OPENING OF THE SECOND 'A' IN 'CANADA' APPEAR DOUBLED.
THE UPPER LEFT END OF THE SERIF, THE LEFT SIDE OF THE UPRIGHT, THE BOTTOM LEFT & BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE 'D' IN 'CANADA' APPEAR DOUBLED.
IN ADDITION, THE BOTTOM FEET OF THE THIRD 'A' OF 'CANADA' APPEAR DOUBLED.
REVERSE DIAGNOSTICS:
THE SUBJECT COIN APPEARS TO HAVE A VERY LATE 8/8 REVERSE DIE STATE WITH THE FIRST '1/1' NOT MENTIONED IN THE C&C DESCRIPTION BUT CLEARLY PRESENT IN THE SUBJECT COIN (SEE IMAGES BELOW).
THE ('8/8') IS CORRECTLY DESCRIBED IN THE C&C SITE, & IS PRESENT IN THE SUBJECT COIN.
THE SECOND '1' IS A '1/1' FOR THIS LATE REVERSE DIE STATE AND IS SET ABOVE THE FIRST '1' WHICH IS SET LOW AS INDICATED IN THE PCGS DESCRIPTION (SEE IMAGES).
I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE '9' IS DOUBLED, BUT DUE TO WEAKNESS OF THE RESOLUTION IN THE AVAILABLE EQUIPMENT, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SHOW A CLEAR IMAGE OF THIS BELIEF.
THE COIN IN HAND '9' IS NOT THE SAME '9' INDICATED AS SEPARATE TYPE: 1891-OBVERSE#2 - 9/9, ON THE C&C SITE.
THE SUBJECT COIN ALSO EXHIBITS DOUBLED 'N','T' & 'S' IN CENTS AS INDICATED BELOW.
FURTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF THE REVERSE:
A 'SPIKE' IS NOTED EMERGING UPWARD TO THE LEFT, BELOW THE UPPER SERIF OF THE '1'. THIS APPEARS TO BE EVIDENCE OF REPUNCHING OF THE '1'.
DOUBLING IS NOTED AT THE TOP INSIDE OF THE UPPER LOOP OF THE '8'.
THE SUBJECT COIN APPEARS TO BE A '1891/1891'.
THE 'NTS' OF 'CENTS' APPEARS DOUBLED. THE 'N' ON TOP OF THE UPPER RIGHT SERIF. THE 'T' ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE UPPER RIGHT SERIF. THE 'S' AT THE TOP, THE RIGHT SIDE AND BOTTOM OF THE UPPER RIGHT SERIF AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE LOWER LEFT SERIF.
IN ADDITION, THIS DIE PAIR IS CLASHED ON THE OBVERSE AND REVERSE (MOST EVIDENT ON THE OBVERSE) WITH A BIT OF DIE POLISHING EVIDENT AS WELL AS A LIGHT BIT OF TONING ON BOTH SIDES, MOST EVIDENT ON THE OBVERSE.
IN ADDITION, THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF PROOFLIKE SURFACE ON THE OBVERSE TO THE LEFT, ENCOMPASSING ALL OF 'VICTORIA' AND PART OF 'CA' OF 'CANADA'.
A VERY UNUSUAL COIN WITH ERRORS OF PRODUCTION AND STRIKING AND YET, STILL MAY BE AMONG THE FINEST KNOWN AND POSSIBLY UNIQUE FOR ITS TYPE.
SEE DIGITAL IMAGES BELOW.
THE COIN WAS SUBMITTED TO PCGS AND GIVEN GRADE MS64. IN ADDITION THE COIN IS DESIGNATED REPUNCHED O (OF VICTORIA) ; 1/1; 8/8; LOW 1. THE SECOND '1' DOUBLING IS NOT NOTED, BUT IS CLEARLY PRESENT, AS ARE THE DOUBLINGS INDICATED ABOVE ON BOTH OBVERSE & REVERSE.
THE DOUBLING OF THE SECOND '1' IS NOT INDICATED IN CHARLTON'S 1891 '8/8' AND AS SUCH THE SUBJECT COIN MUST BE CONSIDERED A LATER REVERSE DIE STATE.
FROM THE ABOVE ANALYSIS THE SUBJECT COIN APPEARS TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF THE LATEST DIE STATE OF AN OF2.
AS INDICATED IN THE 'COINSANDCANADA' WEBSITE, MS64 IS NOT KNOWN FOR THE '8/8' AND AS SUCH,THE COIN AT HAND SEEMS LIKELY TO BE THE HIGHEST GRADE COIN OF ITS TYPE TO DATE. ALTHOUGH AN MS66 '8/8' IS KNOWN TO EXIST, IT APPEARS TO BE AN EXAMPLE FROM AN EARLIER DIE STATE W/O THE ADDITIONAL DOUBLINGS AND CLASHING OF THE COIN IN HAND.
APPOLIGIES FOR THE LONG WINDED DESCRIPTIONS ETC...IMAGES FOLLOW.....
- PCGS label
- CANADA5CENTS1891.jpg (35.99 KiB) Viewed 12949 times
- Obverse
- CANADA5CENTS1891OBV.jpg (47.91 KiB) Viewed 12949 times
- Doubling of VCTO of Victoria as shown.
- CANADA5CENTS1891OBV2.jpg (59.54 KiB) Viewed 12949 times
- Doubling of D of DEI as shown.
- CANADA5CENTS1891OBV3.jpg (37.54 KiB) Viewed 12949 times
- Doubling of G & T of Gratia as shown.
- CANADA5CENTS1891OBV4.jpg (44.91 KiB) Viewed 12949 times