I am going through hundreds if not thousands of 5 cent circulated coins that have been thrown into a box over many years. there are coins from 1966 to 2013. I am a novice's apprentice what comes to 5 cent coins, I know very little about mintmarks, die varieties and anything that is interesting in them.
Any help with varieties is much appreciated.
1972 5c
and anything that might be a error
http://www.thesandpit.net/index.php?option=five_cent_die_types
Thanks for help, now starts the checking of 1250 coins....
I think that is the first time that I have seen differences shown so well.
Congrats to emu666 for the link.
Now do you have any other links to varieties of other denominations that show the differences as clearly as those already linked, I would like to see.
Quote from: 'emu666' pid='70675' dateline='1428813669'http://www.thesandpit.net/index.php?option=five_cent_die_types
What about the normal SD and small SD?
Quote from: 'Mister T' pid='70757' dateline='1429010384'Quote from: 'emu666' pid='70675' dateline='1428813669'http://www.thesandpit.net/index.php?option=five_cent_die_types
What about the normal SD and small SD?
I'm sure I've got them all. What year (s) are you referring to?
There's some footnotes in McDonald's for 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
From the pictures I've seen they're pretty similar.
There aren't any varieties for those years; i.e. just one obverse and one reverse for each of those years.
Nice research emu666 you must have great eyes to even see the details of a 5c piece :) well done
Quote from: 'emu666' pid='70795' dateline='1429096269'There aren't any varieties for those years; i.e. just one obverse and one reverse for each of those years.
Ah good - I'd never had a good look but from the pictures the difference almost looks like it's due to strike.
What are the six reverse dies as per http://www.thesandpit.net/5c_survey/2014_5c_survey.html? I see D, E and F, and I guess A is high echidna and B is short spine.
A is original low echidna 1966-1972
B short spine 1966 Canberra
C high echidna 1972-1988
D small SD (low echidna similar to A) 1984-
E large SD 1991-1994
F tiny SD or huge echidna 2007-
obverse
1a 1966-1984 Canberra, and Royal Mint
1b 1981 (different hair) Winnipeg
2 1985-1998
3a (small head, serif IRB) 1999, 2001 small head, 2002-2015
3b (large head, non-serif IRB) 2000, 2001 large head
milling is slightly different on all three 1981 issues
Ah okay.
Should 1999 be type 3b?
Quote from: 'Mister T' pid='70891' dateline='1429314344'Ah okay.
Should 1999 be type 3b?
No; it's the same size as 2001 small head and 2002 onwards
So it looks like both low and high echidna coins exist from 2007 to 2016 (though not all in circulation) - anyone know if both varieties exist in mint sets for 2017?
I haven't seen any in change yet and I've only got one mint set and it's a high echidna.
Haven't been keeping up to date with the 5 cents, good to know, have to resume checking, cheers Mr T :)
Just checked all mine from 07 onwards, they all are the low echidnas, both in baby and mint sets and in the 5 cent album.
Quote from: 'Mister T' pid='110430' dateline='1501296715'So it looks like both low and high echidna coins exist from 2007 to 2016 (though not all in circulation) - anyone know if both varieties exist in mint sets for 2017?
I haven't seen any in change yet and I've only got one mint set and it's a high echidna.
The 2007 to 2016 5c doesn't have "low" and "high" echidnas. Rather, it has "small" and "large" echidnas, with the "small" echidna have a small SD, and the "large" echidna having a tiny SD. I've been keeping stats on these for over a year, and they largely correspond with those listed in the October 2016 issue of CAB.
This is what I've found in circulation:2007: Small echidna (small SD) predominates
2008: Large echidna (tiny SD) used exclusively
2009: Large echidna (tiny SD) predominates
2010: Large echidna (tiny SD) predominates
2011: Large echidna (tiny SD) used exclusively
2012: Large echidna (tiny SD) used exclusively
2013: Large echidna (tiny SD) used exclusively
2014: Large echidna (tiny SD) predominates
2015: Large echidna (tiny SD) used exclusively
2016: Large echidna (tiny SD) used exclusively
2016C: Not enough data
2017: Not enough data
Can you provide images of the 2007 small echidna /small SD, and the 2008 and 09 Large echidnas please. For future references. Thanks. :)
Quote from: 'gnome' pid='110457' dateline='1501379938'Can you provide images of the 2007 small echidna /small SD, and the 2008 and 09 Large echidnas please. For future references. Thanks. :)
Check out http://www.thesandpit.net/index.php?option=five_cent_tiny_SD_reverse - pretty easy to spot once you've got a couple in the hand.
For 2016 at least I've seen the low echidna in whichever set had the round 50c piece I think. Must be running out of the dies by now anyway.
Still haven't seen any low echidna 2015 or 2016 5c pieces in circulation - might be a little early to call it with the 2016 but probably all 2015 5c pieces are high echidna.
I haven't seen any 2017 5c pieces in circulation yet but today but I saw 20 that I assume had been pulled from mint sets and they all looked like high echidnas.
I'm still searching for a 1987 low echidna and 2007 double header
Got a 2018 mint set recently - also a high echidna.
2016 could be the last year of any low echindas.
I think you guys are a bit confused.
Runway: The 1987 low echidna is common and the 1987 high echidna is extremely scarce (about 0.3% of the total mintage).
Mister T: From 2007 onwards, the variations aren't called "high echidna" and "low echidna", but "large echidna" and "small echidna". All of the 2015 & 2016 5c coins I've noodled are large echidnas. The latest small echidnas I have are dated 2014.
Quote from: 'Hercules' pid='113133' dateline='1512209339'I think you guys are a bit confused.
Runway: The 1987 low echidna is common and the 1987 high echidna is extremely scarce (about 0.3% of the total mintage).
Mister T: From 2007 onwards, the variations aren't called "high echidna" and "low echidna", but "large echidna" and "small echidna". All of the 2015 & 2016 5c coins I've noodled are large echidnas. The latest small echidnas I have are dated 2014.
Yes thanks for the correction Hercules 1987 High Echidna I meant :thank_you:
Quote from: 'Hercules' pid='113133' dateline='1512209339'Mister T: From 2007 onwards, the variations aren't called "high echidna" and "low echidna", but "large echidna" and "small echidna". All of the 2015 & 2016 5c coins I've noodled are large echidnas. The latest small echidnas I have are dated 2014.
Yes I think you're right - I just go with that designation as that's how I tell what it is by eye.
An interesting error and variety article by Dr Peter Andrews in the December issue of CAB makes reference to the "flamingo" five cent. Not being a error collector as such, I hadn't heard of this one, but I like it :good:
I saw a picture of it on either this forum or CCF, but I think I've got Buckley's hope of finding one. :winkextra:
I've got these images, I can only assume that I've got the coin as these are scans I did in 2011.
I had a quick look for the coin, but didn't find it. I'm hoping that I'll have a brain-wave regarding it's
possible whereabouts, but won't be holding my breath.
5c 2001 D'Ck Rev Flamingo
(https://www.australian-coins.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10007/75/5c_2001_Rev_D_Ck_Flamingo.jpg)
Quote from: 'emu666' pid='70795' dateline='1429096269'There aren't any varieties for those years; i.e. just one obverse and one reverse for each of those years.
So what is the extra type mentioned in McDonald's? I've never looked out for them but I'm guessing it's something to do with the strike (lots of 20c pieces seem to have this sort of double-struck SD which makes the lettering look much fatter).
Quote from: 'Mister T' pid='114583' dateline='1521625597'Quote from: 'emu666' pid='70795' dateline='1429096269'Quote from: 'Mister T' pid='70790' dateline='1429091696'There's some footnotes in McDonald's for 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
From the pictures I've seen they're pretty similar.
There aren't any varieties for those years; i.e. just one obverse and one reverse for each of those years.
So what is the extra type mentioned in McDonald's? I've never looked out for them but I'm guessing it's something to do with the strike (lots of 20c pieces seem to have this sort of double-struck SD which makes the lettering look much fatter).
I've tried looking for those ones before, but I cannot tell the difference between them
– even under a microscope. Perhaps the person who discovered them was using an electron microscope. :dontknow:
I figured that it's not a real design change as it seems to have come and gone and never been 'adopted' (i.e. become the dominant design).
Someone on CCF has looked out and found them but I haven't really bothered.
Another one for noodlers to keep an eye out for now is the 2005 5c Flamingo coin.
One of the members on CCF has posted pictures of one.
https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=325414