Well, I got a bargain on ebay that turned up today - $20 Nokia N9!
This phone has excellent NFC readability with a huge sweet spot at the top rear of the phone.
Both Alpha and Normal rings are very easily readable, so easy in fact that I keep doing it by accident.
![](https://camo.nodebb.org/5e23eadda4c75f76dc244d6bd6f2de2321ae468f?url=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FSp4vMJj.jpg)