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Is this coin authentic/worth anything? [solved]

ReznikReznik Registered User regular
edited June 2011 in Help / Advice Forum
My mom has had this coin for a long time and no idea where she got it from. I tested it with a magnet and it is not magnetic. I don't have a scale to weigh it with. I also basically know nothing about coins other than what I google searched (which told me about the magnet thing).

PBznM.jpg

edit: also, what is that green stuff and can we clean it off without damaging the coin?

Do... Re.... Mi... Ti... La...
Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
Forget it...
Reznik on

Posts

  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Reznik wrote: »
    My mom has had this coin for a long time and no idea where she got it from. I tested it with a magnet and it is not magnetic. I don't have a scale to weigh it with. I also basically know nothing about coins other than what I google searched (which told me about the magnet thing).

    PBznM.jpg

    edit: also, what is that green stuff and can we clean it off without damaging the coin?

    Google came up with this. I know it's not the exact date, but it gives a good idea. You'd probably have best luck taking it into a coin shop.

    EDIT: And more specifically here.

    KM#5a.1 was minted from 1901-28, and has an "A" (Paris Central Mint) mintmark. Values in VF are listed at $12-15 in the 2005 32d Ed. Krause.

    Esh on
  • ReznikReznik Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Ah excellent. I'll see what that coin talk forum has to say.

    There's only one coin shop in town so I want to get some other opinions from different sources before going in there, just to be on the safe side. Though given how badly this particular coin is worn it probably won't be worth anything other than its silver content.

    Reznik on
    Do... Re.... Mi... Ti... La...
    Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
    Forget it...
  • SentrySentry Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I do know from watching Pawn Stars that any time you try and "clean up" an old item, 9 times out of ten all you do is end up making it worthless. Or at least severely diminishing the value.

    Sentry on
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  • MrFishMrFish Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I had a counterfeit of this very coin... did she ever travel in southeast Asia? Laos and Vietnam especially are full of fakes of this... Although at least the details are correct (mine was dated before the existence of the currency), I am skeptical of its authenticity. just my .02. Obviously, your best bet would be to take it to a coin shop, they can almost always tell right away. Regardless, based on its condition even if its real its probably not worth more than 20 bucks or so.

    I've heard it explained that colonial currencies like this are actually less valuable than you might expect, although they seem obscure in one sense, often what happens is a (in this case) french diplomat or officer or whoever brings it back from a tour as a souvenier, and it sits in a drawer for years. Basically, it has a much higher survival rate than a "normal" currency. Just a theory, but it seems plausible.

    MrFish on
  • ViscountalphaViscountalpha The pen is mightier than the sword http://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Sentry wrote: »
    I do know from watching Pawn Stars that any time you try and "clean up" an old item, 9 times out of ten all you do is end up making it worthless. Or at least severely diminishing the value.

    if it's an antique and your not skilled in antique restoration,

    DON'T TOUCH IT!

    Viscountalpha on
  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Reznik wrote: »
    Ah excellent. I'll see what that coin talk forum has to say.

    There's only one coin shop in town so I want to get some other opinions from different sources before going in there, just to be on the safe side. Though given how badly this particular coin is worn it probably won't be worth anything other than its silver content.

    If a VF is only worth $12-15, in that shape this is probably the case - silver content or nothing. Though, silver/part silver coins still sell fairly well by virtue of being silver. How big is it? I sold what seemed to be a century worth of swear jars I dug out of my basement and attic, got several thousand dollars in just silver content, plus a bit for some actually worthwhile coins. The best offer I could get was $5 for quarters, $10-20 for half dollars depending on year, $22-35 for dollars depending on year, and I forget what it was for dimes. Might give you an idea where it falls based on what's closest in size.

    Are you in the US? One thing to note, a lot of coin dealers in the US don't deal in non-US coins. I had to drive almost two hours to find out the Mussolini coins my great grandfather "liberated" were worth around 35 cents each. Also, like MrFish said, colonial money doesn't seem to have particularly much value, at least the ones I have, and his reason is pretty close on - when people start keeping coins while they're in circulation, it usually assures they'll stay common. This is why steelies are worth pennies and impossible to sell, and why the state quarters will probably never become a good investment.


    Don't try to clean it until you have it looked at. If you decide to sell it as silver, it'll just be melted down anyway, and if you find a dealer interested in buying it as a coin, you want it left in condition, even if the condition is deteriorated. If you decide it's not worth enough to sell and want it as a keepsake and want it shiny, you can use a silver jewelry cleaner to remove the tarnish.

    Hevach on
  • WildEEPWildEEP Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    No cleaning. It will not help the value, only hurt it.

    WildEEP on
  • ReznikReznik Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    According to the cointalk forums it's most likely a fake. Ah well. We've got a pile of other coins to go through so maybe there's something interesting in there.

    Anyway, I suppose this is solved then. Thanks all.

    Reznik on
    Do... Re.... Mi... Ti... La...
    Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
    Forget it...
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