Just found this 1899 Newfoundland 20 cents in a customer wrapped roll of quarters. During my time hunting US coins, I have found plenty of clad Canadian coinage scattered across boxes and customer rolls. In fact, when I first started to hunt rolls Canadian coins were a bit of a nuisance as I often mistook their edges for silver at a glance. Since then I have gotten better at differentiating the two but I’m sure others can also relate to this. 

However, my understanding now is that this is not a Canadian coin at all. In 1899, Newfoundland was a self governing British colony separate from Canada which led me down a path of research this morning. 

I have spent the past few hours since finding this coin reading about the 1894 Newfoundland bank crash. It seems to be a classic tale of banker malfeasance and a separation of currency from its base. Unlike Newfoundland’s banknotes, their coins persevered the 1894 crash due to the intrinsic value of silver and copper contained in the planchets. This moment in history ties directly into my experience today. 127 years have passed and I am rooting through piles of mass produced fiat currency for the occasional thrill of finding something with intrinsic value.

The toning on this coin is breathtaking to view in person. On the reverse, there is a slight green hue contained within the ring that shines similar to the aurora borealis. This proved difficult to capture on camera but I tried my best; I may need to upgrade my photography setup soon.

7/11/2026 marks my personal favorite find this year (so far) and I felt like sharing. 

Happy hunting! 

Silver drought is broken with an absolutely beautiful coin.