Never mind the narrow and wide dates - the middle image is a very scarce variety. The 1888 "bead punch"... look inside the lower loop of the second, or middle, '8', on the left side. A bead punch was used to repair or retool the die. A tough one to find, here is a small discussion on this, on a speciality forum for Canadian large cents - http://www.canadiancoppercoins.com/viewtopic.php?t=424&p=2212 Rob Turner documented this variety, and it was included in the Large Cent variety catalogue in the 65th Edition of the Charlton Standard on Canadian Coins.
There's no such thing as a wide or narrow date for the '88's. There are close, kinda close, very close, wide, kinda wide, far, very far, far, etc. There is every kind of spacing you want to dream up and, yes, they are all different. The 88's are also one of the most repunched Vicky large cents. Read Rob Turner's books and numerous posts on other coin sites. The 88's and their spacings & repunches have been described at length for more than 15 years. There are NO names for most of the anomalies that you find in the Vicky large cents... just enjoy them .. and the bead punch that SPP showed you is a pretty scarce variety.
Rick, listen to Roger and Bill. (SPP and Bill) They are two of the most respected Canadian E/V people in Canada. They know their stuff.
Best part jim, I paid 50 dollars for 20 different dates, and this one was in there, I also bought theses coins on cointalk, from doug444, see you at the next coin show, thanks for stopping by, jim
Heres a portrait of the coin, I also photoed the date again, this coin also has a die crack on the 14th leave too
