thoughts on 900 foreign coins... All old.

[TheRockDoc]

Hey guys, I didnt really know if I should ask this here, but then I decided that it is considered coin hunting, just not neccessarily from rolled coin per say. So in my local classified ads, there is a guy who has a bunch of foreign stamps, paper currency and most importantly... coins. He says he really has no idea what all is there, as it was a collection handed down from his uncle long ago. He is asking 900 bucks for this entire collection. What is getting me though, is that there are literally 900 coins. In a total of 5 binders, and each coin has its own special little spot, like baseball cards I used to collect. I am wondering if any of you have any knowledge on foreign coins, and if any of you would maybe take a chance like this to make some dough. Are foreign coins like the U.S. coins as far as numismatic value? Or would it just be strictly any PM's in the coins that I would be wanting? any help is greatly appreciated. I havent went and looked yet, but I think Im gonna, just to try to get an idea of silver (how many might be silver).

Thanks.

 

[coolpix9]

Run for the hills. Most of the foreign coins will be junk. Silver although present would be hard to find. He doesn't know what anything is worth yet he places a $900 value on it. I would go look and keep my wallet well hidden from temptation. Good Luck, If it turns out to be great, share some pics or war stories with us. Jim

 

[LeoTrench-MAINE]

Unless of course they're 1905 German 5 Reichmark coins and the like.

It depends -call him and ask for the countries and the denominations and the years.

It's worth a shot -or go have a look at them.

HH

Trench

 

[ottawadigs]

Go take a look at the coins

if they are old, pre 60`s there`s a good chance they are worth something
especially if they are ancient like roman or greek, then certainly $1 a coin is way worth it...

my 2 c

 

[FreedomUIC]

This is the one I have. It is scarce according to most sources, not sure what that means though as there is no mintage numbers.

 

[azlegends]

Hard to answer without any ode of what coins they are. I would go look, or have him send you a list of what he has. There's plenty of foreign coins worth a pretty penny, but there's billions that aren't. Unless you can get a list beforehand or bring a price guide with you, it could go either way. I know I would atleast check it out though.

 

[Diver_Down]

Look for major countries in the collection. Germany, England, Canadian, Philippines (US Collectors), especially Old China and Japan. Nobody cares about obscure countries in Africa or Central America. Even if there are some rare coins from an obscure country, you'll have a tough time finding a buyer who collects obscure coinage. Stick with the majors. Focus on 1950 and earlier.

 

[TheRockDoc]

Thanks for all the replies, I called him last night and was trying to ask him what was there, and he said look, there are 900 coins. I do not know what is there. I just took a few coins at random earlier and checked them on ebay, and on ebay (which I hate when a seller says that, well.... On Ebay, they are selling for....) anyways, he said that he saw some selling for .25 cents, and some selling for 20 or thirty bucks, which is why he put a value of 900 on them. It did say OBO though, so I think I will go check them out. If I end up doing anything I will for sure report back. Thanks guys.

 

[papa1956e9]

I always use this website for foreign coins, it doesn't list values for collectors, but It has metal content.

http://en.numista.com/catalogue/ind...p=1&e=&d=&km=&i=&v=100&m=&a=2002&t=&dg=&w=&g=

 

[Gilmore Happy]

Run for the hills. Most of the foreign coins will be junk. Silver although present would be hard to find. He doesn't know what anything is worth yet he places a $900 value on it. I would go look and keep my wallet well hidden from temptation. Good Luck, If it turns out to be great, share some pics or war stories with us. Jim

+1

I put some ads on Ebay saying "unsearched"....

Why the hell would I put "unsearched" if I didnt know what "unsearched" meant? know wat I sayin? lol

And yes, they sell off the shelves for me. "The man with the experience ends up with the money, and the man with the money, ends up with the experience." And around the cycle goes.

 

[spjegues]

Having looked at the ad I would pass. It looks like alot of old candian coins but I do not think there is $900 worth without looking at more pictures.


Check it out and let us know.

Spjegues

 

[Generic_Lad]

Yes, if you've got any coins from Great Britain (1920-1946 all silver looking coins are 50% silver, 1919 and before are all sterling), the older (as in, Victoria and before) milled issues are worth quite a bit in great shape, otherwise they are just worth scrap value. Keep in mind in British (and most other European countries for that matter) numismatics there isn't much of an age premium like US coins have. For example, while you might be paying well over $100 for a decent example of a 1797 US large cent, a 1797 cartwheel penny in nearly AU condition is about the same price, and lower grade specimens sell for a few bucks at most (except on eBay where they seem to sell for $$$$ to US collectors). If you've got any hammered coins, those can go for quite a bit of money if you can attribute them and figure out a mintmark.

But yes, don't be spending $900 on coins minted in obscure Caribbean nations, former Soviet republics, most African nations (with the exception of South Africa which has a few coin collectors), and central/south American countries. Granted though, this is if you have base metal coinage, if you can identify some silver, it still has melt value no matter who it was issued by.

 

[usandthem]

Panamanian coins were actually minted in our US mints and have the same silver content as our coins. They look like our coins (size) and they even have the fineness (.900) and the weight (in grams) on the reverse. Good luck.

 

[dp2013]

Have you been able to do any research on the seller? Odds are he knows what he has. Odds are he knows if any contain silver. Deals can be made but do your homework before you spend $900. Unless you have $900 to blow.