It's hard to tell from the way the question is written.
-- If he has 5 pennies, then it doesn't matter how many he lost.
He has five of them.
-- If he has 5 pennies after he lost three of them, then there are
eight now, just like there were before, but he only has 5 of them.
-- If he had 5 pennies before he lost three, then there are still
5 pennies, but he only has two of them.
