Canada Newfoundland 5 Cents Silver Coin 1882 Queen Victoria
Five Cents, silver, of Queen Victoria.
Obverse: Laureated head of Queen Victoria.
Lettering: VICTORIA D:G: REG: "VICTORIA DEI GRATIA REGINA." NEWFOUNDLAND
Engraver: Leonard Charles Wyon
Reverse: "5 CENTS," and the date of the year of issue, within a beaded and ornamented circle.
Lettering: 5 CENTS 1882 M
Years: 1865-1896
Value: 5 Cents
Metal: Silver (.925)
Weight: 1.18 g
Diameter: 15.5 mm
Shape: Round
Newfoundland made the decision to introduce its own decimal coinage in 1863, but the first coins were not issued until 1865, with 1, 5, 10 and 20 cent and $2.00 gold pieces being issued that year. 50 cent coins were first issued in 1870. There denominations and weight standards were based on being equivalent to 100 cents equal to a Spanish 8 real. The coins were all struck in England until 1913 during which time those struck at the Royal mint in London are without a mint mark, and those struck at the Heaton mint in Birmingham have an H mint mark. No coins were made from 1914 to 1916, and when coinage resumes in 1917 most coins are then minted at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa with a small C mint mark on them, although on a few dates the C is missing.
This is an extensive series of coins, most of relatively low mintage. The pre-1920 coins circulated extensively resulting in many of the examples now either very worn, damaged, or both and finding higher grade attractive circulated specimens is difficult for some dates, and for some mint state examples very difficult (nearly impossible) to fine. In spite of the rarity of nice examples, prices can often be very reasonable compared to many more common Canadian coins.
The last Newfoundland coins were 1, 5 and 10 cent coins struck in 1947 just over a year before Newfoundland entered Canadian Confederation to become Canada's 10th Province in 1949. Newfoundland coins largely stopped circulating after 1949 so most Newfoundland coins minted than 1940 did not circulate long enough to become very worn, so tend to still be in nice condition.
Newfoundland Coins - Queen Victoria
Canada Newfoundland 5 Cents Silver Coin 1882 Queen Victoria