1858 CANADIAN 20 CENTS (KM4) - How many are left? AN UPDATE

bohica268 · February 28, 2005 8:48PM

Krause lists a mintage of 750,000. Charlton slighty less at 730,000+ and says many were melted. Are there any reliable estimates of how many have survived?
I have an ANACS net graded example sent in error (I ordered an F12 but an EF40 was sent) that I'd like to keep but am having a hard time justifying the added expense of the higher grade. If the numbers are low enough it would bolster my argument for keeping the better coin.

HELP!

ajaan · March 1, 2005 7:38AM

I see many of these for sale. I have owned a few myself. I think there are still quite a few left.

bohica268 · March 1, 2005 8:01PM

The piece I am considering is graded by ANACS as having AU details (I agree with the AU) but was net graded at EF because it has been cleaned. Cleaning is not visible when the coin is viewed straight on but appears as a series of fine horizontal lines on the obverse when the top is tilted toward the viewer.

The dealer is asking 190 $US (236 $CDN).

bohica268 · May 14, 2005 5:13AM

First an Acknowledgement – This post would not have been possible without the help of Mr. Joseph Payne, Assistant Curator of the British Royal Mint.
Mr. Payne’s efforts in procuring and mailing me copies of the pertinent pages from the Royal Mint’s Annual Reports went far beyond any help I hoped to receive.

1858 Canadian Twenty Cent Coin Mintage And Melt Numbers

$150,000 in Twenty Cent pieces were minted in 1858. This dollar amount is listed in the 1891 British Royal Mint Annual Report and is repeated in the 1906 Report as well. This equates to 750,000 coins; the figure listed in the Krause Standard Catalog Of World Coins.

Beginning in 1885 Twenty Cent coins were removed from circulation and returned to the Royal Mint for recoining. All dollar amounts listed are from Mint Annual Reports for the year in the first column.

1885 – $18,000 – 90,000 coins
1888 – $17,174 – 85,870 coins
1889 – $16,585 – 82,925 coins*
1894 – $15,000 – 75,000 coins
1899 – $18,895 – 94,475 coins
1906 – an unknown number of 5, 10 and 20 Cent coins ( total face value of $7,460.75)
Total – $85, 654 – 428,270+ coins melted ( approximately 321,730 possible survivors )

*An alternate dollar amount is listed in the 1891 Annual Report
1889 – $17,074 – 85,370 coins
Total – $86,143 – 430,715+ coins melted ( approximately 319,285 possible survivors )

laurentyvan · May 14, 2005 7:58AM

If this coin were as eagerly sought after as the american equivilent I could understand your concerns. But as Ajaan said, they are around.
Does the coins appearance in general justify the increased cost? If it's just the grade but presents itself as ordinary-looking, I might be tempted to return it.

lordmarcovan · May 14, 2005 11:14AM

I've got a nice holey one for my vest now.

bohica268 · May 15, 2005 7:21AM

The original post was some 74 days ago. I'm just tying up a loose end and answering my own questions. Perhaps someone will search for this info some day and find this thread. I kept the coin in question and have since been offered $240 for it. I declined to sell.

coinkat · May 15, 2005 10:17AM

There are two questions here and both do not have simple answers. The original mintage may have been 750,000 but at least 320,000 were destroyed. The surviving population is always what matters. While I agree that these are available, the challenge has always been to find a high grade example that is original. I have seen several that have been dipped, whizzed or enhanced in some way. Originals that are EF40 AND HIGHER are tougher than are not quite as common as one might be lead to believe.

PBRat · May 15, 2005 10:16PM

Good information!

1858 CANADIAN 20 CENTS (KM4) - How many are left? AN UPDATE

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