Coined For Money

1998 East Caribbean States Dollar

2012-01-27T00:56:00.003-05:00

Do you have an East Caribbean States coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Going to change my habits for a while. I will take out some money from the ATM and use it to pay bills in person. Let us see if the ups my chances of finding more coins of interest.

Until then back to the vault with this East Caribbean States dollar. While most of their are not unusual to find in U.S. change the dollar has an odd shape and was from a coin lot.

QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND

EAST CARIBBEAN STATES 1998 1 ONE DOLLAR 1 (Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hind at sea)

Decagonal Coin
This is a ten-sided coin which is kind of unusual for circulating coin. The more sides you put on a coin the more difficult it becomes to mint. Coin blanks should flow smoothly in a radial pattern when pressed but if slightly uneven a circular collar will keep the coins shape. Not as true for other coins.

Coins of lower denominations are almost always circles since they are hardly ever faked. For large denominations like one dollar or more having difficult and odd shape helps prevent counterfeiting. For added security this East Caribbean States dollar also has a fully reeded edge.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 1 Dollar / East Caribbean States
Year: 1998
Mintage: Not known.
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.50 in VF (it has a big dent on the Queen's neck)

Do you have an East Caribbean States coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1997 Dominican Republic 5 Pesos

2012-01-25T00:23:00.000-05:00

Do you have a Dominican Republic coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Back in the day finding Dominican coins in my change was common. Unfortunately in the last few years it has become more difficult. While New York still has a large Dominican community it is not to the levels of the 1980s.

On the seedier side people use to buy Dominican quarters for a few cents a piece and then use them in parking meters. I guess the new meters do not have the same loop hole.


REPUBLICA DOMINICANA (Dominican Republic) 1997 center 5 PESOS///// 50 ANIVERSARIO BANCO CENTRAL 1947-1997 (50th Anniversary - Central Bank) center SANCHEZ

Note the edge is segmented or partial reeded. This is common way of reeding in many countries use it to both stop counterfeiting and help for the visually impaired.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Pesos / Dominican Republic
Year: 1997
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Bi-Metallic: Stainless Steel Center, Brass Outer Ring
Value: $0.75 in Very-Fine

Do you have coin from the Dominican Republic and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1995 Denmark 10 Kroner

2012-01-23T01:15:00.000-05:00

Do you have a Denmark coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

It is so close to Valentine's Day and I just realized this coin I had for years has hearts, ♥ ❤ ❥. This is the first time I noticed a common symbol like this on any coin.

1995 MARGRETHE II ♥ DAMARKS DRONNING LG JP

10 KRONER Lions surrounded by 9 hearts with a crown.

The heart on the obverse was a traditional mint mark used to identify the Royal Danish Mint. While all the coins are know minted in the same place they still place this special mark on coins. It is more sentimental then practical and so sweet...♥, ♥, ♥.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Kroner / Denmark
Year: 1995
Mintage: 9,461,000
Metal: Aluminum-Bronze
Value: $1.00 in Very-Fine

Do you have coin from Denmark and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2004-P Peace Medal Nickel

2012-01-20T00:28:00.001-05:00

Do you have a nickel and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question

Needed to take a break from the foreign vault. This coin was found at the work cafeteria I took it from someone else but they did not mind, really. Most of my people know I collect. The reason I took it is because most people do not realize or care they made circulating-commemorative nickels.

Peace Medal nickels honor the 1803 Louisiana Purchase with a copy of the Indian Peace Medals made for the original expedition. It features a tobacco pipe, an axe, and hands shaking. This was the first of four new commemorative designs.

The obverse has the older design but for the second two-fourths of the Westward Journey nickels in 2005 they changed Jefferson. By 2006 when they returned to the Monticello nickels they again changed Jefferson's image.

Here's the stats for these coins...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States
Year: 2004-P / Peace Medal
Metal: 75% copper 25% nickel
Mintage: 361,440,000
Value: $0.05 at F-12

Do you have a recent coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1992 Czechoslovakia 10 Haleru

2012-01-18T00:49:00.000-05:00

Do you have a Czechoslovakia coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Found a 1956-D wheat cent today but since I found many before I will not make a new post about it. Instead I will trot out another vault coin.

This is a Czechoslovakian coin or more accurately a Czech and Slovak Federal Republic coin. This was kind of a short issue from 1990 through 1993. Although it was a short lived union the coins are not extra special or rare.

ČSFR (CSFR=Czech Slovak Federal Republic) 1992

10 h (haleru)

The reason this coin is such rough shape is that it is aluminum. A common metal for coins under transitional governments because they do not last long. They made it a bit thicker than normal coins of the diameter to last a bit longer. Still with little pressure it can bend and scratch easily.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Haleru / Czechoslovakia
Year: 1992
Mintage: 45,050,000
Metal: Aluminum
Value: $0.10 in Very-Fine

Also that wheat cent found on a couch in a store with three Lincoln Memorial cents. I tried to find a change tray or donation jar in store but none existed so they came home with me.

Do you have coin from the Czech Republic and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1998 Czech 20 Korun

2012-01-16T01:09:00.001-05:00

Do you have a Czech Republic coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

By using electronic banking I realize that it is not easy to get change and even less chances to find "funny" money. Until I can figure out more convenient ways to live on cash I will still be in the vaults.

This is a Czech Republic coin not to be confused with a Czechoslovakia or a Republic of Slovakia coin. It is sad to see break ups but that means twice as many coins for the kids.

20 KČ Saint on a horse SVATÝ VÁCLAVE, NEDEJ ZAHYNOUT NÁM I BUDOUCÍM (Saint Wenceslas, perish forbid us her future)

ČESKA REPUBLIKA 1998 (Czech Republic 1998)

There is no doubling on the coin the lettering is made with an outline font. A sharp version of this coin must look great. It would be golden and highly detailed with the outline font looking like a neon sign. There is a proof version and I can only imagine how it pops out.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 20 Korun / Czech Republic
Year: 1998
Mintage: 15,725,000 (Officially 41,786 were destroyed)
Metal: Brass Plated Steel
Value: $0.75 in Very-Fine

Do you have coin from the Czech Republic and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1963 Cyprus 5 Mils

2012-01-13T00:21:00.001-05:00

Do you have a Cyprus coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Back when I got this coin it took me a long time to identify it. The language was not familiar, the value is just a number 5, and there are no symbols are images that I associate with different regions of the world. The key is the word KIBRIS. A quick Google search shows that KIBRIS is Turkish and ΚΥΠΡΙΑΚΗ is Greek but most important is that in English it means Cyprus.

The second confusing part is the two dates, 1960 and 1963. Knowing the unofficial coin rule that the later date is the real date I can assume that the earlier date is something else important. Turns out 1960 is the year of Cyprus independence.

ΚΥΠΡΙΑΚΗ ΔΗΕΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ· KIBRIS CUMHURYETI (CYPRUS REPUBLIC) 1963 over shielded 1960

5 with stylized ancient boat at sea

This is one of those coins I got from a lot buy and it happens to be the most common of this type. That is not a coincident and when buying coin lots expect to find the most common types, even if they are unsearched simple probability will always lean towards common types.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Mils / Cyprus
Year: 1963
Mintage: 12,000,000
Metal: Bronze
Value: $0.05 in Very-Fine

Do you have coin from Cyprus and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1953 Cuba Centavo

2012-01-11T01:32:00.001-05:00

Do you have a Cuba coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Still in the vaults showing off one of three Cuban coins I own. Almost a half a century old and not in sharpest condition. Brass coins often tarnish but this one just was not stuck well. Value jumps from $0.05 in fine to $40.00 in brilliant uncirculated because so few are found in high grade.

It is still very pleasing to have any Cuban coin since they are rarely seen in circulation in the U.S. because of embargo issues. Maybe closer to Florida they are more common but up here in the North they are not.

REPUBLICA DE CUBA, PATRIA Y LIBERTA (REPUBLIC OF CUBA, HOME AND FREEDOM) 2.3 G, 300 M, star in triangle 1 C.

1853 CENTENARIO DE MARTI 1953 (CENTENNIAL OF MARTI)

José Julián Martí Pérez was a national hero who led the Cubans against foreigners and wrote pretty poetry and other smart/heroic stuff. This coin was pre-Castro but even Castro era Cuban coins hold no extra special value in the U.S.. Enough Cuban coins make out of the country for collectors that they can be legally be bought for cheap.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Centavo / Cuba
Year: 1953
Mintage: 50,000,000
Metal: Brass
Value: $0.15 in Very-Fine

Do you have coin from Cuba and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1997 Costa Rica 50 Colones

2012-01-09T01:35:00.001-05:00

Do you have a Costa Rica coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

One of ten Costa Rican coins that I own. They are not rare but the later coins lack proper production figures. So since it is unsure how many were minted it depends on the secondary grading market to determine value. So the more that are graded and sold the more common the coin and the lower the value.

The B.C.C.R. is an acronym for Banco Central de Costa Rica or Bank Central of Costar Rica.

The coin has a very Russian feel to it because of its minimalist style and solid brass metal.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 50 Colones / Costa Rica
Year: 1997 (a) Minted at Armant Metalurgica, Santiago, Chile
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Brass
Value: $1.50 in Extra-Fine

Do you have coin from Costa Rica and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1967 Congo 5 Makuta

2012-01-06T00:44:00.000-05:00

Do you have a Congo coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Back to the vaults. This coin from The Democratic Republic of the Congo came with one of the coin lots I bought. The lot came with three Congolese coins but they were all the same year and type. This happens often with coin lots. Coins are not spread out evenly and you may get three to twenty of the identical coins. Of course some companies and sellers try better so read reviews to get the best lots.


Obverse: BANQUE NATIONALE DU CONGO 5K Reverse: CINQ MAKUTA 1967 (President Mobutu)

This was the only type and denomination of this coin made. There was a huge gap in coinage from 1971-1998. The reason being is they became Zaire for a not so brief period. They are back to Democratic Republic of the Congo after a brutal civil war.

The bust of the President Mobutu is very well done. The details and 3/4 pose is better than on most western coin. The 5K is also nice in its simplicity. Overall this is one of the nicer designs that is kept simple.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Makuta / The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Year: 1967
Mintage: 2,470,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.25 in Fine

Do you have coin from the Congo and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1928 Buffalo Nickel

2012-01-04T00:35:00.001-05:00

Do you have a Buffalo nickel and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question

First find of 2012!

Got this slightly scratched old five cent coin in my change at a regular store. Also known as an Indian Head nickel but at this point finding any 84 year old coin is great.

This is the third buffalo nickel I found around the holidays. A 1927 nickel late in 2007 and a dateless buffalo in late 2008 are not a coincident. I said it before, the holidays always brings out some nice finds.

I imagine grandma giving a little grandchild the coin saying how special it was, telling a long story of her youth and recently passed grandpa. Then in a week later the kids goes to the local store and buys a bag chips with his change and use it without a second thought.

Since technically the holidays are over after Three Kings Day on January 6th I will keep looking for more old change finds. (For those who may not celebrate Three Kings Day or Epiphany it is generally celebrated with a reenactment of the Epiphany and giving gifts to children.)

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States
Year: 1928
Mintage: 23,411,000
Metal: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Value: $1.25 in G-4

Do you have an old nickel and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1997 Colombia 200 Pesos

2012-01-02T00:47:00.001-05:00

Do you have Colombia coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

One of many reasons to upgrade your old books is for the coins not listed. This 1997 Colombian 200 Pesos was not listed even in the 2010 World Coin book by Krause. It is nothing rare or special but occasional omissions are normal.

Another coin that has edge lettering which is common for coins with high denominations. It is a security feature to make counterfeiting more difficult.

Obverse: REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA, 200 PESOS, 1997
Edge: *** 200 PESOS *** MOTIVO QUIMBAYA
Reverse: Quimbaya artwork design

Attempted to take a picture of the entire edge. If I used the Stitch Assist feature or taken a video and stills it would look better. A continuous edge shot but that means a little more patience than I have. Especially when the Jets and Giants were playing on the same day.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 200 Pesos / Colombia
Edge: Upside down ↑↓
Year: 1997
Mintage: 37,000,000
Metal: Copper-Zinc-Nickel
Value: $0.15 in Fine

Do you have a gold coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Year In Review: 2011

2011-12-30T00:21:00.001-05:00

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Books: Time to upgrade, whether you have older books or are new to collecting get the 2012 or 2013 versions. If you can, get the e-books they are cheaper.

Equipment: Cameras/phones are still getting better and cheaper, scales have not changed much but still a good investment. Get a caliper with in/mm.

Change Finds: The graph below shows 44 world coins found from 18 countries which is less finds than last year but from more unique countries. Canadian finds still lead but have also fallen short compared to last year. With the U.S. finds the total is 81 which barely beats out last year and is a new record for significant finds.

The United States, Canada, Great Britain, Bermuda, and Trinidad & Tobago are my constant finds. Except this year I found no Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) coins, for nearly a decade in a row I always found at least a T&T cent. I have a few Trinidadian friends but I did not push them for some free change and none went to visit the homeland so I guess 2011 will be the year without T&T. Last year I did not get any British coins but then this year I got 5 so I have hope for 2012.

Oldest United States Find
1920 Cent

Oldest Foreign Find
1943 Canadian Cent

Most Valuable Find (above face value)
2006 $1 dollar star note in CU about $25.00

Most Valuable Foreign Find
2006 10 Meticais in VF about $0.75

Most Valuable Coin Find Overall
2006 10 Meticais in VF about $0.75

Summary:
Yet again the most valuable find was a note not a coin. Notes are quickly becoming the hotter collectible.
No silver coins found this year, I blame roll hunters.
As for trying to complete my collection of one of every coin ever made I got a little closer but then they announced all new coins for next year so I am back to 0.000000000001% complete.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and change for all

2001 China Yuan

2011-12-28T00:59:00.001-05:00

Do you have a Chinese coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Technically this is a People's Republic of China coin but that is way to long for a title. China makes lots of commemorative Yuans but the one I am showcasing is just the regular circulating issue.

Chinese coins of any era are not uncommon to find. The main reason is that they have been made in the hundreds of millions since the early 1900s.

ZHONGGUA RENMIN YINHANG and a Chrysanthemum

The edge has RMB three times with an incused diamond between each RMB. RMB mean Renminbi or sign: ¥; code: CNY; also CN¥, 元 and CN元 all means legal tender.

ZHONGGUO RENMIN YINHANG means Peoples Bank of China or 中國人民銀行 which is written on the front.

Here's the stats for both coins...
Type/Country: 1 Yuan / China
Edge: Upside side up when Obverse is facing up, ↑↓.
Year: 2001
Mintage: Unknown.
Metal: Nickel-Plated Steel
Value: $1.00 in XF

P.S. Made in China

Do you have Asian coins and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1985 Taiwan 10 Yuan

2011-12-26T00:47:00.000-05:00

Do you have a Taiwanese coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

This is listed as a Republic of China coin with the subheading of Taiwan. There is so much history, drama, and politics going on with these two countries that I will just stick to talking about the coin.

With a bust of military leader Chiang Kai-shek and simple flower branches on the back this coin is very understated compared to others. Edges are reeded given it the look and feel of a quarter, although I cannot remember how I got it.

Obverse says year 74 or 1985. Otherwise not sure what the coin says because the symbols are unfamiliar to me. I tried but maybe it is something with the regional characters or maybe I just do not see it. Oh well I welcome any help, this is a learning blog and I love to learn.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Yuan / Republic of China - Taiwan
Year: 1985
Mintage: 200,000,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: Very-Fine about $0.30

Do you have a coin from Taiwan and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1985 $1 Dollar Bill

2011-12-23T13:52:00.003-05:00

Do you have an old bill and want to know its value? Leave a comment

The big debate over coin versus dollar is based on some efficiency model. The projection is that over 30 years coins will be cheaper to produced. Some might notice that thanks to e-commerce notes are used less and less.

This note was printed in February 1986 and despite the fact it is almost 16 years old it has survived well. Modern notes are estimated to last about 40 months, the old estimate of 18-22 changed as people use notes less.

Sure the bill is very folded it still is machine readable.

While year end predictions are awful I will say that 15 years from now the amount of circulating cash will be less than now. I can also guess that a note will last 80 months on average.

Here's the original stats...
Type/Country: 1 Dollar / United States
Year: 1985
Date Printed: February 1986 (190 months ago)
Printings: 422,400,000
Run: 4th from Group/Block CA, C00000001A - C416000000A
Value: $1.00 in this shape

Do you have a currency bill and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Small-Size U.S. Paper Money 10th Ed.

2011-12-21T00:29:00.000-05:00

Do you have some small size currency and want to know its value? Leave a comment

So I used a $25 gift card and a Barnes & Noble coupon to get this book in person for $1.87. In store this book is $32.99 + tax. Yes it is cheaper online but trying to get anything delivered to my apartment requires a team from Mission Impossible and two and a half miracles. Now if you through Amazon and do not have any coupons or gift certificates it will be a cheap $21.77 .

I enjoy books they look great in my mini library and I find them faster then computers. That said I use Amazon Kindle app and if these books get to the Kindle faster I will gladly change formats.

What's New

Removed picture under Serial Numbers.
Removed star note picture under star notes, that did not have a star.
Added photo above Mules.
Removed wide and narrow $5 and $10 pictures under Wide and Narrow Margins.
Spacing adjusted made to have the next page to start with properly and not in the middle of a paragraph or list.
$1 1935-D Narrow picture enlarged.
$5 1953-C picture added in full color.
Pictures added and removed to adjust for spacing all over.
Certain (Sheets) and (Notes) were added.
Disclaimers added to most Dark and Light green seals for 1928-1934.
Up to 2009 listed for the most part.
Generally higher values across the book, some modern notes are lower.
Reverse of $5,000 and $10,000 pictures finally added.
Expanded Changeover Pairs appendix.
12 more pages but less Color ads in the back.

Disappointments

Printed in China (Nothing against China but a U.S. paper book should be printed in the U.S.)
Appendix of fancy serial numbers still not back.

Overall
All the mistakes I listed from the last edition have been corrected. This one is a vast improvement from the others and if you own only one small size currency book this should be it.

P.S. 2004 $20 EK-* is still listed as 3,840,000 even though I think it should be 384,000. (Unless I'm wrong since this is 3rd time in a row)

P.P.S I found it funny it is still 2011 and they are already selling the 2013 World Coins Book...

Do you have a U.S. bill and want to know its book value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2001 Panama Cent

2011-12-19T00:50:00.001-05:00

Do you have a coin from Panama and want to know its value? Leave a comment

So far this has been my only change find for December. Apparently gift cards and debit cards will be the down fall of this blog. Well at least I still have a box full of old coins to share.

The ninth Panamanian coin I found most of them are common. All modern coins from Panama are a fraction of the Balboa. So this one is 1/100th of a Balboa.

URRACA (Urracá, indigenous freedom fighter of colonial Panama) 2001

REPUBLICA DE PANAMA, UN CENTESIMO DE BALBOA

Two weeks left in the year and if all I find is more Panamanian coins I am fine with that. Still there is one foreign coin I need to make my yearly list complete but let me not speak of it until the year is over.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Centesimo / Panama
Year: 2001
Mintage: 160,000,000
Metal: Copper Plated Zinc
Value: $0.07 in Extra-Fine

Made at the Royal Canadian Mint although it has no mintmark.

Do you have a Panamanian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

The Myth of The Dollar Coin

2011-12-16T02:48:00.000-05:00

As many may have heard the presidential dollars will cease production of new circulating coins at the end of the year. That means 20 of 38 scheduled coins made it to circulation. Collectors issues of the remaining will still be made.

Now this is third failure of dollar coins following the Eisenhower and Anthony dollars, even add the Sacagawea to that list if you want. Despite 40 years of rejection their is a certain segment of people who want to force it on the U.S. by eliminating the dollar bill instead. (The same rich fools call for the end of the pennies and nickels.)

You want to see the future if the dollar bill gets eliminated...

Coin-Op Laundromat: A True Story
Ten years ago my local laundromat took quarters and had machines that would convert quarters. Today the same 1960s washing machines are still there but the coin slots have been replaced with card slots. These re-loadable cash cards serve one function, to hold money. No names, IDs, or validation required. My card is six years old and has not failed. It has hundreds if not thousands of dollars pass through.

Why am sharing my lack of a washing machine in my apartment? Simple because it works better than carrying quarters.

Read that carefully: TREAT THIS AS CASH

If the dollar bill gets eliminated the rush will not be to dollar coins. The rush will be to these universal cash card that charge no fee, has no personal information, and can collect you change after each transaction. This would also be a great way to reduce the production of pennies and nickels without the whole rounding to the nearest dime scenario.

I do not want this to become a rant but the loud coin-pushers are whining so much something must be said.

Leave You with Some Facts:

50 years of NYC Subway tokens (1953-2003) gave way to Metrocards (1993-present) and even now a system is being tested to accept fares directly from a credit card, debit card, or smartphone.
Cash cards can be exact so 8.675% sales tax can be precise without rounding up.
Most places that have cash registers need electricity to make cash transaction so if power is comprised then the policy is to suspended transaction and ask customers to return later.
The metric system was strongly pushed in 1975 for the U.S., as I sit here drinking my 8 oz can of orange drink.
Vinyl, tapes, CDs, may sound better but digital downloads outsell them all.
Pennies are an acceptable term for U.S. cents so I will continue using it.
Remember the half dollar coin, that lasted longer than most dollar coins yet they are hardly seen or used in recent years.

So yes reduction of dollar coins is great. Heavy coins may be more cost effective but they are not as comfortable as dollar bills. For the young the two forms are obsolete and they already know that debit cards and smartphones are both efficient, cost effective, and comfortable.

Dang it! I think this did turn into a rant.

1979 Cambodia 5 Sen

2011-12-14T00:47:00.002-05:00

Do you have a Cambodia coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Found it! Temporarily mislabeled this coin in the unknown envelope the last time I went through my foreign coins. Since I only have this one Cambodian coin I often forget about it. There are no recognizable symbols or designs that I associate with Cambodia.

Royal emblem.

5 Sen 1979

It is a nicer piece in hand but you can clearly see splotches. This is typical among aluminum coins that are exposed to water droplets. Honestly with all the problem zinc, aluminum, and silver coins are giving me because of this New York City humidity I am liking gold more everyday.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Sen / Cambodia
Year: 1979
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: 100% Aluminum
Value: $1.25 in Extra-Fine

Do you have a coin from China and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Kwangtung Province 10 Cash

2011-12-12T01:45:00.000-05:00

Do you have a Chinese coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

It took a long time to identify this coin, mostly because some versions of world coin books reference this coin but never actually show it. In the Krause books this one is referred to as Y# 193 but in the 2010 World Coin Book it is not shown.

Also there are mule versions where Y#192 and Y#193 have their reverses switched. Yes, confusing especially when you do not know the language.


Kuang-tung Sheng Tsao, Kuang-hsü Yuan-pao around Board of Finance and Copper Coinage 10 Cash

鄺盛東曹光緒元報董事會財務和銅硬幣十個現金 (pardon the translation)

Kwang-Tung is the province in China and ten cash is equivalent to one cent. The back of this one seemed to have something spilled on it. It has since turned into a powder and is falling off. I am sure it is a real coin so this is not casting residue. I hope one day to use distilled water to clean it off but that is not a priorty since the whole coin has verdigris damage.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cash (1 Cent) / China-Kwangtung Province
Year: 1900-1906
Mintage: 1,211,487,000 for the Y# 192 and I assume this Y# 193.
Metal: 95% Copper, 4% Lead, 1% Tin
Value: Fine about $2.00 but only if I can safely remove the powdery thing.

Oh yeah and varieties exist in the lettering and spacing.

Do you have a coin from China and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2002 $5 Gold

2011-12-09T00:56:00.001-05:00

Do you have gold and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Buy them gold.

For whatever holiday you celebrate in the upcoming few weeks nothing would make a nicer gift than a bit of gold. I got this for myself in 2002 for Christmas from the mint for $42.95. Currently they are $175.00 on average, subject to the changing value of spot gold.

Check out the size compared to a dime, yup slightly smaller but worth so much more.

This tenth ounce (1/10 oz.) bullion coin has quadrupled in value and yes occasionally I feel like kicking myself for not buying a dozen and saving in the bank with this one. Slowly I am turning away from silver since even in a bank vault the silver coins are beginning to tarnish but gold barely changes.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Dollar / United States
Year: 2002
Mintage: 230,027
Metal: 91.67% Gold, 5.33% Copper, 3.00% Silver
Value: $200.00 in Uncirculated

Do you have a gold coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1997 Chile 10 Pesos

2011-12-07T01:47:00.001-05:00

Do you have a Chile coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

I always think I have more South American coins than I actually own. Mostly because I know a lot of people from that continent so the coins seems common. It turns I only have two coins from Chile.

This coin is much more silver color in hand but halogen lights and a lack of proper photo setup makes it look a bit yellow. Trust me it is more nickel than brass.

REPUBLICA DE CHILE LIBERTADOR B. O'HIGGINS (mintmark is an o on top of an S)

10 PESOS 1997

Although this one has the Santiago mint mark on the front it has no real affect since all these types of 10 Pesos have it.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Pesos / Chile
Year: 1997
Mintage: Not yet known.
Metal: Nickel-Brass
Value: $0.10 in Very-Fine

Do you have a Chilean coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1990 Cayman Islands Quarter (DDO?)

2011-12-05T01:23:00.001-05:00

Do you have a Cayman Islands coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

One of six Cayman Islands coin I have and for the first time I noticed it has some doubling actually it is tripling. Looking at the word CAYMAN and the 1990 just with your eye it looks blurry. A closer look there is some doubling.

This picture was as clear as I could get as the camera was showing the shaky camera symbol. My poor Canon G11 could not auto-focus on half of the coin.

Check out this close up on the A you see clear flat machine doubling. Oh but the next picture it gets better.

Check out the 199 and you see tripling. But the tripling is like steps each layer is flat and slightly lower then the one before that is clearly machine doubling and not true doubling. Even the rim has some doubling and at the point the rim is spilting is where the design is also affected.

Anywhere the rim is normal so is the design. This is because the die hit the coin and then jumped on the coin a second and third time as the coin shifted slightly.

Back of the coin is normal.

So at the end this coin has no extra value. It is not an error but it is very cool to notice after years in my collection.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents / Cayman Islands
Year: 1990
Mintage: Not yet known.
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.25 in Fine (although the tripling may change that for some)

Side note: This should be a Cambodian post but I cannot find it. All I have is a notebook scribble that says Cambodia 1979 with no other reference, whether it was a coin or note it is gone, for now.

Do you have a quarter from the Cayman Islands and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Nightline: Penny Hoarders

2011-12-02T23:40:00.001-05:00

Tonight the team at Nightline exposed the society of penny hoarders.

Here's the official link...Nightline Penny Hoarders.

My position is that people who hoard coins are slightly nuts. I mean take the money now and buy some silver, gold, or platinum. You now what buy dinner for your family that would be more rewarding.

Nightline first teased it as a scheme then said it is enterprising.

First up Joe Henry has 200,000 pennies or $2,000. He uses the analogy if he had Enron stock or some dot.com stock it would be worth nothing. (I would say what if he had Google or Microsoft stock.)

Next is Adam Youngs is a professional penny sorter who sells $100 of pennies for $176. He is so giggly it reminds of a kid who knows their doing something naughty and is getting away with it.

The Laws
It is against the law to transport $5.00 in pennies outside the country.
It is against the law to melt pennies or nickels.

The law against penny melting may be changed the next time the lawmakers meet.

At the end the buyers and hoarders are hoping They watch copper values go up, the theft of copper going up, and see the market for copper get larger. Unfortunately even if the law does change the market is bound to crash. Imagine billions and billions of pennies being turned to copper-smiths.

Update from an early story done on Joe Henry:

Joe Henry says the time it takes to get enough pennies to get a major windfall isn't worth it, but says he is continuing to collect for his son.

Joe Henry has a son diagnosed with autism and he used collecting to teach the boy to be more social.

The ABC story focused on the business of penny hoarding while the local station got the back-story. I think an Autism penny drive would do this family good.