My Most Favorite Island
Whitman Folder #9088 is a remarkable little folder, a typical 3 panel folder, that has transported me back in time to a wild island off the coast of North America. 9088, the Newfoundland Coin Type Collection consists of 7 denominations for 1 Queen, and 3 Kings of England. Her Provincial coin collection starts with Queen Victoria in 1865 and ends with King George VI in 1947. In 1949, Newfoundland joined Canada and became her 10th and last Province.
As I may have mentioned in previous blogs, I have a great affinity for Canada and enjoy collecting her coins and ephemera. I became aware of the possibility of collecting Canadian Provincial issues after completing my Dansco Canada Type Album. The provincial issues available, in order of their output are Newfoundland (20 coins), New Brunswick (5 coins), Nova Scotia (2 coins), and Prince Edward Island (1 coin). Of course, these numbers do not count the numerous varieties available within each set. I chose to start with Newfoundland because it has the greatest number of coins, it has the only Gold coin, and it has the only coin folder.
Newfoundland is also a fascinating place in its own right. L'Anse aux Meadows, on the northeast coast of Newfoundland, is the site of the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America. Gander on the east coast was the town where 38 Planes, refused entry to the United States, sheltered in the aftermath of 9/11. The hospitality shown by Gander residents and numerous other Newfies, for the 6000 + passengers is heartwarming and has been the subject of books and documentaries.
The Newfoundland $2 gold coin was minted from 1865 to 1888 but was only minted in 6 years between 1865 and 1888. This was the only gold coin issued by any of the provinces, they chose the denomination because a silver Dollar was considered to heavy for a pocket and a $1 gold coin was considered to small and light. The $2 was deemed just the right size. My example is graded AU 55 by NGC. I am happy to have completed my Newfoundland type set. Now I move on to New Brunswick, 2 coins down 3 to go. Completing the Newfoundland set has been a wonderful experience, I hope all your collecting endeavors are equally enjoyable.
Designer: Leonard C. Wyon
Weight: 3.328 grams
Diameter: 17.98 mm
Fineness: .917 gold, .083 Copper .0981 oz
Haxby, James A. : A Guide book of Canadian Coins and Tokens, 1st edition
3 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now