Wednesday, August 03, 2011

2007 Russia 10 Kopeks

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

Less of a change find and more of a kind gift from a Russian tourist. Oddly enough it was back around August of 2006 that I got my last Russian money also from a tourist. I am sure I found Russian coinage in my change but that was before I started obsessively blogging about them.

Russian coins are not rare but in the United States they are not often seen. Sure in New York City there are huge Russian communities but the fact the coins are not equal in size and color to U.S. coins makes them less likely to end up in change. Oh not mention the history between the two nations, lots of animosity exists.

10 копеек (Kopeks) above a spring vine.
банк России (Bank Russia) 2007 around St. George slaying a dragon. Under the front left hoof is the mint mark
There are four varieties for 2006 and 2007 10 Kopeks...
       1.   Brass - СП = Санкт-Петербург or SP = St. Petersburg
       2.   Brass - М = Москва or M = Moscow
       3.   Brass Plated Steel - СП = Санкт-Петербург or SP = St. Petersburg
       4.   Brass Plated Steel - М = Москва or M = Moscow

The brass version are worth about twice the plated steel version. Of course all you need is a magnet to tell them apart. You can also try weighing them the Brass types are about 1.95 grams while I get the steel types at 1.90 grams, granted I am not positive that it should be lighter.

Here are that stats...
Type / Country: 10 Kopeks / Russia
Year: 2007-СП (St. Petersburg Mint)
Mintage: Unknown (by me at least)
Metal: Brass Plated Steel
Value: $0.25 in Extra-Fine

Do you have a coin from Russia 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.

72 dollars worth, for Comments/Questions click here.:

Anonymous said...

I have this 1960 d penny. I have a picture of it here: https://picasaweb.google.com/roxrea/August82011?authkey=Gv1sRgCN_u7v722tyuWA#
I am wondering if it is valuable. My mom had it with some other coins she was collecting. There is a little bit of green oxidation on the top I don't know if that nmeans anything. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Rox

Man said...

1960 d penny. I have a picture of it here:

I see copper on the rim so I think it was plated at some point. No extra value.

That said it you think it maybe something else weigh it. A painted fake would weigh 3.11 grams any other weight will be a true error.

Anonymous said...

Hello! I'm that Russian guy who talked here a lot :-) and I've just came here to say about those coins.

First of all, IMHO the best way to tell the two versions apart is to look at the edge - plain in the later steel version, reeded in the earlier brass version.
Of course, there might well be errors when this and the magnet test give different results; those would be errors and worth a lot of money.
Coincidentally, no 2007 ten-copecks were (at least officially) made in brass (the changeover was in 2006). If you ever get any, that's also an error.
Another way to tell the two apart would be to look at the color (the types have subtly different shades). Coincidentally, the same way (look at the color; in mid-grade region, that is, highs are too red and lows too dark) works for distinguishing 1982 cents (where the only real other way is weighing).

BTW, good head! It's not a problem with wide-rim ten-copecks (which include all SPs and a common variety of Moscow 2007s), but with thin-rim Moscow tens (especially later ones), it's almost impossible to find a decent near-full-head one in circulation - all have a blank circle for a head, apparent indication of a bad strike. Believe me - I have just checked over a hundred 2010 tens, and only a dozen had anything but a blank circle for a head; even then, most had a blank circle with a faint line, not the well-done face one sees on SP coins like yours. (IIRC it gets even worse with 2011s - I'm not sure I even have a 2011 ten-copeck with anything but a blank for head. And yes, 2009s, 2008s, thin-rim 2007s, and even both varieties of 2006 have that problem - but the older the less; and for 2005 and earlier it seems that blank heads are more often the result of wear than anything else.)

Are you collecting Russian money? I was wondering what coin should I give you if I ever get anywhere near; I'm currently thinking of an 1999 ruble, but if you have other options - say it! Basically something reasonably common and easy-to-get in Russia, but reasonably valuable in the US; and I'd of course like to get the reverse in return - e.g. trade that ruble for the first three Lincoln bicentennial cents (I only have the fourth of this set).

Not very connected, but maybe you could help: how to tell how many Monticello steps there are on a nickel? I have an 1999-P nickel with a lot of them, and so I need some way to know how to tell whether there are four, five or six (e.g. where to count from).

Anonymous said...

By the way: my own oldest circulation find was also a ten-copeck coin... from 1991. You know, that small yellow type made for a few months in the late USSR that is nearly the same color and size as a modern tenner and thus can be easily confused. As such, it's easy to explain how it stayed in circulation... not so easy on how it got there in the first place (as it's been obsolete for nearly twenty years). BTW, other coins I've found in circulation in place of ten-copecks include a Transnistrian 25 copeck and a French (IIRC) 10 euro cent - it's pretty much the equivalent of roll-searching where the coins are only worth a nickel a dozen and it doesn't cost much to just buy them. Coincidentally, it was only a few weeks ago - after having searched and sorted through over three thousand ten-copecks, for a total value of over $10 - that I finally found a complete set of years and mintmarks among ten-copecks (1997-2010 both M and SP - I'm still missing a 2011-SP). Of course, it's not as much any of them being rare as 1) SP coins being uncommon in Moscow and 2) it being uncommon to get, say, an 1999 in circulation in first place (to get a hang of how much, the combined bag of 1997-2001 and SP had less coins that the bag for 2007, and I still have only one coin for some of the early SP dates).

And finally - did you save that note? I know, it's 2004 series (yes, I know, it says 1997, blah-blah-blah... it still says "modification 2004"... if you really want, call it 1997-B or something), but they've stopped making ten-rouble notes since 2009 - brace yourself for ten-rouble coins, and save the note! (Coincidentally, a five-rouble coin is nearly the same size and color as a quarter - so you might not exactly be right about the coins "not equal in size and color".)

Sorry for the wall of text :-( My collection is slowly growing, so I'm only going to ask about the two last additions. What is the value of:
a bicentennial half-dollar in XF-AU (really shiny)?
and a British crown about the Charles-Diana wedding (1981) in XF?
Thanks in advance :-)


...So what, how? :-))
January First-of-May

PS: Sorry for the double post - it was just very very long. I was trying to post it for over a day before I realized it might be just too long :-) is there indeed an in-built limit?

Man said...

plain in the later steel version, reeded in the earlier brass version.
--Good to know.

Believe me - I have just checked over a hundred 2010 tens, and only a dozen had anything but a blank circle for a head;
--Probably the Master die or hub needs to remade.

Are you collecting Russian money?
--I collect all money but I do not trade, I just like finding them in my change.

I have an 1999-P nickel with a lot of them, and so I need some way to know how to tell whether there are four, five or six (e.g. where to count from).
Easier to show you.
Go to this link about halfway on the page...
http://www.carlscoins.com/Jeffs.htm

Man said...

And finally - did you save that note?
--Yes I thought of reposting it since last time the picture was not clear.

a bicentennial half-dollar in XF-AU (really shiny)?
--Just $0.50

a British crown about the Charles-Diana wedding (1981) in XF?
--About $0.65

is there indeed an in-built limit?
--Yes

Anonymous said...

Is the crown price real? It seems awfully low. Maybe I'd been better off buying that 1706 copeck after all. :-)
As for the nickel, it does seem quite full-step-ish (no idea whether 5 or 6 - indeed, with the incredibly strict standards, maybe neither), but being only from 1999(-P), might not be worth anything... is it?

Man said...

Is the crown price real?
--Yes technically, it's a 25 pence coin very common and most survived in near perfect since they were saved after the wedding like a souvenir.

As for the nickel, it does seem quite full-step-ish (no idea whether 5 or 6 - indeed, with the incredibly strict standards, maybe neither), but being only from 1999(-P), might not be worth anything... is it?
--If 6 about $3.00, if 5 about $1.00.

Anonymous said...

So a Churchill crown in VF- would've been more valuable? What about a Russian 1706 copeck?
(Just asking that in case I do get to that coin shop again. Really unlikely, though, given that it's in another city. :-)

Man said...

So a Churchill crown in VF- would've been more valuable?
--No it needs to be UNC and even then just $1.00.

What about a Russian 1706 copeck?
--About $30.00

Anonymous said...

Okay, that's another of my trips to a coin market.
I don't think I got anywhere near fair on the 1943 dime ($7 for VF or so), and what I consider a very good deal for the 1951-D cent ($0.35 for what seems to be F) probably won't seem that way for you as well; but those coins were new types for my collection (Mercury dime and wheat cent respectively) and as such quite interesting either way. (I'd like to hear your opinion even on those, though - but much more so on the rest.)
So I'd just list the other coins, with prices I paid for them when I remember:

1 dinar 1925, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (whew!), VF-ish - for $3.5
20 kreuzer 1758, Austria, VF-ish but holed in the upper side - for $14
10 copeck 2000, Transnistria, AU - for $1 (IIRC)
1 yen 2 Heisei (don't remember what this translates to), Japan :-) AU-ish - for $0.35 (IIRC)
1 peseta 1963, Spain, stars 19?5 (can't see without a magnifying glass), otherwise XF-ish - for $0.15 (IIRC)
100000 lira 2000, Turkey, XF+ (and all the zeroes...) - for $1.4
1 Ks 1941, Slovakia?, F-ish - for $1.4
1/2 penny 1807, UK (George III), G or so (and even the mintmark is lost... if it was there at all) - for $14
50000 lira 1999, Turkey, XXI CENTURY FAO FOOD SECURITY (token?? it's aluminium and generally looks token-ish), MS? - for $1.4
...and finally...
1 shilling (16)45, (Swedish) Livonia, F-ish - for $4 (no, really, and that's the oldest dated coin in my collection now, if just barely)

That's a total of $48.85 including the two American coins; actually, I rounded up and down on a whim here, so that's probably better expressed as $45-50 (I won't be able to get it more clearly without counting a lot).


...So what, how? :-)
January First-of-May

Man said...

1943 dime ($7 for VF or so)
--About $3.10

1951-D cent ($0.35 for what seems to be F)
--About $0.05

1 dinar 1925, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (whew!), VF-ish - for $3.5
--About $1.00 if (b) - Brussels mintmark
--About $1.50 if (p) - Poissy (thunderbolt) mintmark

20 kreuzer 1758, Austria, VF-ish but holed in the upper side - for $14
--About $0.50 if no hole $17.00

10 copeck 2000, Transnistria, AU - for $1 (IIRC)
--About $0.30

1 yen 2 Heisei (don't remember what this translates to), Japan :-) AU-ish - for $0.35 (IIRC)
--About $0.10 it's 1990

1 peseta 1963, Spain, stars 19?5 (can't see without a magnifying glass), otherwise XF-ish - for $0.15 (IIRC)
--About $1.00 can only be 1965

100000 lira 2000, Turkey, XF+ (and all the zeroes...) - for $1.4
--About $1.50

1 Ks 1941, Slovakia?, F-ish - for $1.4
--About $0.50

1/2 penny 1807, UK (George III), G or so (and even the mintmark is lost... if it was there at all) - for $14
--About $2.00 no mintmark

50000 lira 1999, Turkey, XXI CENTURY FAO FOOD SECURITY (token?? it's aluminium and generally looks token-ish), MS? - for $1.4
--About $1.00

1 shilling (16)45, (Swedish) Livonia, F-ish - for $4 (no, really, and that's the oldest dated coin in my collection now, if just barely)
--About $30.00

Anonymous said...

I've recently bought (for about $9) a 1 peso 1969 from Dominican Republic. It says on one side "125. aniversario de la republica dominicana" and "1844 1969", and on the other side "un peso 26.7 gramos" and "1969". There's some sort of a castle door on the first side and what looks like a coat of arms on the other; the package claims UNC condition, which does look reasonable (though I won't say it's MS, and IIRC there aren't any grades between MS and AU).
The dealer I bought it from says it was very rare. A mention of it on the Internet says only 30,000 were minted. Is that true? Sounds like an incredibly small mintage for me (especially for a Cu-Ni coin).
If you didn't get the question early on: how much is it actually worth? :-)

That same coin dealer also tried to sell me a piaster from French Indochina (don't remember the year) for $20, claiming they are very rare in XF+ as most tended to rot incredibly in Indochinese conditions. Is that true or just a good story?

Also: what could a small irregular-shaped silver coin dated 1706 in Russian letter system be? The other side appears to say Peter as in Peter the Great, so the 1706 date does sound likely, but I've found no mention of such small siver coins (usual 1700s copecks were much larger and copper, and I always thought 5+ copeck denominations were regular-shaped by then).

PS: and an update on 2011 ten-copecks - they appeared to have finally changed the master die, and tens with decent heads have appeared in the last several months.


...So what, how?
January First-of-May (did you recognize me? ;-) )

Man said...

1 peso 1969 from Dominican Republic...UNC condition,
--About $4.50 in UNC
Not rare, most that have been graded are high mint states and the entire 30,000 seemed to have been made well. Unfortunately that means although low mintage also low value.

piaster from French Indochina (don't remember the year) for $20, claiming they are very rare in XF+ as most tended to rot incredibly in Indochinese conditions. Is that true or just a good story?
--Yes, the complete opposite to your previous coin.
The were made in the millions but very few survived in high grades. Even in fine they're about $34.00. In high grades they are worth hundreds.
All French Indo-China coins carry extra value for many reasons including politics, remelting, and coin design.

Also: what could a small irregular-shaped silver coin dated 1706 in Russian letter system be? The other side appears to say Peter as in Peter the Great, so the 1706 date does sound likely, but I've found no mention of such small siver coins (usual 1700s copecks were much larger and copper, and I always thought 5+ copeck denominations were regular-shaped by then).
--silver One Kopek, wire money about $10.00 the amount of silver varies so value may change from coin to coin. This is common among irregularly shaped coins.
http://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/peterwiremoney/peterwiremoney.htm


PS: and an update on 2011 ten-copecks - they appeared to have finally changed the master die, and tens with decent heads have appeared in the last several months.
--Sounds good hopefully I can find one before they start to get worn.

Anonymous said...

Hello i have a 2003 10 koneek russian coin that i know lilttle about. Could you maybe give me some in sight on what it maybe worth or should it be something to hold on to? Thanks

Man said...

2003 10 koneek russian coin about $0.10 in fine, it will probably never gain much value so it's up to you to keep or pass on.

Anonymous said...

Okay, here I am again.
Apparently, my long lists of coins are prone to break the posting system :-( so this one will be split in two parts.
The first part: 60 coins I bought yesterday for a total of $20.

1/2 new penny 1976, UK, XF++
5 pesetas 1957 (star 75), Spain (Francisco Franco), VF+ (but entire legend on obverse easily readable).
5 pesetas 1993, Spain (Asturias), XF-AU
5 (whatever) 1993, Georgia (the country), XF+
5 forint 1994, Hungary, XF+
5 (something) 1952, Italy, VF- (aluminium with a fish)
25 bani 1968, Romania, XF+
1 paisa? 1968, India, VF-
10 rappen? 1945, Switzerland, F-VF (but Libertas easily readable)
20 lira 1982, Italy, XF-
5 yen 1966, Japan, XF- (Showa 41)
1 (something) 1993, Turkmenia, VF+
25 paisa? 1966, India, XF-ish
5 sen 1968, Malaysia, XF-ish
10 cents 1968, Canada, XF-ish
5 pesetas 1989, Spain, XF+
1 cent? 1979, New Zealand, AU-ish
1 schilling 1960, Austria, VF++
1 cent 1982, US, XF-- (looks like the newer version for me)
10 new pence 1968, UK, VF+
5 sen 1989, Malaysia, VF++
100 lira 1960, Italy, XF-
500 lira 1982, Italy, XF+ (with Braille)
1 cent 1956, US, VG-ish (according to Photograde), and very obviously cleaned
5 kurus 2010, Turkey, XF-
1 jiao? 1959, China, F-VF (aluminium)
1 mark 1956, GDR, VF+
25 heller? 1963, Czechoslovakia, VF-ish
1 schilling 1959, Austria, VF+
10 kurus 2009, Turkey, VF- (and a little bit beaten here and there)
50 heller? 1965, Czechoslovakia, VF+
1 cent 1964-D, US, F-ish
2 jiao? 1964, China, AU or even MS (no, honestly, the coin looks perfect to me)
5 new pence 1980, Uk, XF+
1 franc 1964, France, VF+
1 ore 1953, Sweden, XF? (a little hard to grade, the layout of coin pretty much looks made for preservation of design during circulation)
1 peseta 1953 (stars 1960), Spain, F or so
1 centavo 1978, Cuba, AU-ish

Some of the 60 coins are arranged in sort-of sets by country, that is, I've specifically bought several coins from the same country. These are listed below.

Jamaica:
1 cent 1969, VF-ish
5 cents 1969, VF-ish
5 cents 1972, VF-ish (okay, I didn't notice that one in time)
10 cents 1969, VF-ish
1 cent 1977 "let us produce more food", VF--
Kazakhstan:
1 tenge 2005, XF-AU
5 tenge 2000, XF-
10 tenge 2000, XF-
20 tenge 2002, XF-
50 tenge 2000, XF--
Mongolia:
1 mongo 1959, XF-
2 mongo 1970, VF-ish
5 mongo 1970, VF-ish
10 mongo 1970, XF-
15 mongo 1977, XF-
British India:
1 anna 1918, AG
1 anna 1927, Fair

The remaining four coins are from Arabic countries and don't show the country (or denomination) in any letters I can read. As such, I'm waiting with listing those till I'm able to attribute them to a country and/or denomination.

That should be the end of part 1; part 2 (the remaining coins) will likely follow reasonably shortly.

Man said...

1/2 new penny 1976, UK, XF++ about $0.15
5 pesetas 1957 (star 75), Spain (Francisco Franco), VF+ about $0.05
5 pesetas 1993, Spain (Asturias), XF-AU about $0.15
5 Thertri 1993, Georgia (the country), XF+ about $0.15
5 forint 1994, Hungary, XF+ about $0.30
5 Lire 1952, Italy, VF- (aluminium with a fish) about $0.25
25 bani 1968, Romania, XF+ ??Recheck date??
1 paisa? 1968, India, VF- about $0.20
10 rappen? 1945, Switzerland, F-VF about $0.50
20 lira 1982, Italy, XF- about $0.20
5 yen 1966, Japan, XF- (Showa 41) about $0.30
1 Tenge 1993, Turkmenia, VF+ about $0.05
25 paisa? 1966, India, XF-ish about $0.60
5 sen 1968, Malaysia, XF-ish about $0.25
10 cents 1968, Canada, XF-ish about $0.10
5 pesetas 1989, Spain, XF+ about $0.10
1 cent? 1979, New Zealand, AU-ish about $0.15
1 schilling 1960, Austria, VF++ about $0.25
1 cent 1982, US, XF-- about $0.01
10 new pence 1968, UK, VF+ about $0.25
5 sen 1989, Malaysia, VF++ about $0.05
100 lira 1960, Italy, XF- about $1.50
500 lira 1982, Italy, XF+ about $0.60
1 cent 1956, US, VG-ish, and very obviously cleaned about $0.03
5 kurus 2010, Turkey, XF- about $0.10
1 Fen 1959, China, F-VF about $0.10
1 mark 1956, GDR, VF+ about $1.00
25 Haleru 1963, Czechoslovakia, VF-ish about $0.15
1 schilling 1959, Austria, VF+ about $0.25
10 kurus 2009, Turkey, VF- about $0.10
50 Haleru 1965, Czechoslovakia, VF+ about $0.20
1 cent 1964-D, US, F-ish about $0.03
2 Fen 1964, China, AU or even MS about $0.75-$1.50
5 new pence 1980, Uk, XF+ about $0.15
1 franc 1964, France, VF+ about $0.10
1 ore 1953, Sweden, XF? about $0.30
1 peseta 1953 (stars 1960), Spain, F about $0.35
1 centavo 1978, Cuba, AU-ish about $0.60

Man said...

Jamaica:
1 cent 1969, VF-ish about $0.03
5 cents 1969, VF-ish about $0.05
5 cents 1972, VF-ish about $0.05
10 cents 1969, VF-ish about $0.10
1 cent 1977 "let us produce more food", VF-- about $0.01
Kazakhstan:
1 tenge 2005, XF-AU about $0.35
5 tenge 2000, XF- about $0.25
10 tenge 2000, XF- about $0.35
20 tenge 2002, XF- about $0.50
50 tenge 2000, XF-- about $1.00
Mongolia:
1 mongo 1959, XF- about $1.00
2 mongo 1970, VF-ish about $0.65
5 mongo 1970, VF-ish about $0.85
10 mongo 1970, XF- about $1.75
15 mongo 1977, XF- about $1.25
British India:
1 anna 1918, AG about $0.05
1 anna 1927, Fair about $0.40

The remaining four coins are from Arabic countries and don't show the country
--Try here: World Coin

Anonymous said...

Sorry, 25 bani is 1966. Not sure why I wrote 1968.
Also, thanks for the identificator! Three of the coins seem to be from Tunisia - a 5, 1960, XF++; 20, 1993, VF-XF; and 100, 1960, VF-XF.
The fourth, being both very old and very worn, wasn't identified by it :-( will try to find some other way.

Man said...

25 bani is 1966 Romania, XF+ about $1.00
Tunisia -
5 Millim, 1960, XF++; about $0.10
20 Millim, 1993, VF-XF; about $0.40
100 Millim, 1960, VF-XF; about $1.35

Anonymous said...

Okay, so here's part 2: the other coins I've bought in the last several days.

First, the day I posted about (i.e. September 16).

10 ore 1949, Sweden, VF- (if you've counted, my last post had 59 coins; that was the missing 60th)
25 centimes 1908, Belgium (the Dutch part), VF-
200 pesetas 1986, Spain, VF-ish
5 sen 1921, Japan, VF-- (Taisho 10)
10 filler 1909, (Austria-)Hungary, XF+ (I literally had to look very hard to find anything worn on that coin, almost labelled it as AU)
10 shillings 2000, Somalia, Rat
10 shillings 2006, Somaliland, Aquarius (that was sort of a funny pair; both are in that confusing AU-MS range)
2 mils 1945, Palestine, VF-ish
2 copecks 1812-KM, Russia, VG or so

And on to Sept 15 and before...

2 c[?] 1993, Malta, XF--
5 haleru? 1977, Czechoslovakia, VG-ish
20 centavos 1962, Cuba, VF-
20 meticals 1980, Mozambique, VF++
2 zlote 1932, Poland, F-VF
10 centimes? 1931, Italy, VF--
10 centimes (ten cents) 1967, Somali Republic, VF-XF
10 haleru? 1993, Czech Republic, VF-XF
1/2 franc 1974, France, XF-
100 lei 1943, Romania, VF
10 sen 1984, Brunei, VF+
5 centavos 1915, Salvador, G-
5 centimos 1870, Spain, G+
20 francs 1956, (French) Algeria, VF+
200 lei 19(4)?, Romania, Fair? (the last two digits just happened to be very worn, I can see a faint outline of the 4 but the last digit is just a blotch I can't currently read; though judging by my cursory internet search, it can only be a 2)

I'm not mentioning the last two coins (one Japanese and one Ethiopian) due to dating problems (both countries use convoluted dating systems written in obscure symbols). As such, I'm moving straight to the last coin...

5 copeck 1775, Russia, with G+ wear, but a blotch of metal that just happened to cover the only defining part of the mintmark :-( I'm SO going to find something bigger than that, because, honestly, that's about the worst thing one can have as the biggest coin in their collection...


...So what, how? ;-)
January First-of-May

Man said...

10 ore 1949, Sweden, VF- about $0.80
25 centimes 1908, Belgium (the Dutch part), VF- about $0.80
200 pesetas 1986, Spain, VF-ish about $1.00
5 sen 1921, Japan, VF-- (Taisho 10) about $0.45
10 filler 1909, (Austria-)Hungary, XF+ about $2.00
10 shillings 2000, Somalia, Rat about $1.00
10 shillings 2006, Somaliland, Aquarius about $0.50
2 mils 1945, Palestine, VF-ish about $5.00
2 copecks 1812-KM, Russia, VG about $6.00

Man said...

2 cents 1993, Malta, XF-- about $1.00
5 haleru? 1977, Czechoslovakia, VG-ish about $0.01
20 centavos 1962, Cuba, VF- about $1.00
20 meticals 1980, Mozambique, VF++ about $2.00
2 zlote 1932, Poland, F-VF about $3.50
10 centesimi 1931, Italy, VF-- about $0.75
10 centimes (ten cents) 1967, Somali Republic, VF-XF about $1.00
10 haleru? 1993, Czech Republic, VF-XF about $0.05
1/2 franc 1974, France, XF- about $0.15
100 lei 1943, Romania, VF about $0.50
10 sen 1984, Brunei, VF+ about $0.05
5 centavos 1915, Salvador, G- about $0.75
5 centimos 1870, Spain, G+ about $0.50
20 francs 1956, (French) Algeria, VF+ about $2.50

200 lei 19(4)?, Romania, Fair? (the last two digits just happened to be very worn, I can see a faint outline of the 4 but the last digit is just a blotch I can't currently read; though judging by my cursory internet search, it can only be a 2) about $1.00
Yes if the corwned arms and 200 LEI it is 1942
If it just has 200 LEI with crown and no arms it is 1945

5 copeck 1775, Russia, with G+ wear, but a blotch of metal that just happened to cover the only defining part of the mintmark
--About $2.25
I think only EM were minted for 1775.

Anonymous said...

Okay, new set of coins now (actually bought two days ago, but I wasn't able to post it before) - as well as a bunch of questions.
First, about some coins I didn't actually buy that day. One: I didn't actually get the French Indochina coin (long story... basically, it was recalled minutes after I left without buying it back in early September, but the dealer is nice and says he'll try to get it back so that I'm able to sell it). Twp: that same dealer offered me a Pitcairn Island 2010 proof dollar for $29 (or so). I politely declined as I prefer not to buy proofs without having some decent place to put them (being afraid they'll get lots of nicks during the trip home), but I'm considering taking the risk (especially since the dealer agreed to get me a decent holder for it) and buying this particular coin; is that worth it?

Second: the actual coins.
One, the coin I bought instead of the Pitcairn dollar (for $32 or so): a silver 50 escudo coin from the Portuguese colony of Sao Tome [and Principe], apparently about the 500th anniversary of discovery (it says "1470-1970").
Two, other various coins (I spend a total of $10 or so on those):
10 ore 1946, Norway, VF-
5 ore 1973, Norway, VF-ish
2 ore 1954, Norway, VF-XF
1 mongo 1959, Mongolia, XF-AU
20 pfennig 1971, GDR, VF+ wear but some weird red spots on COA (obverse?) side
10 paise 1974, India, F-ish
1 dinar 1945, Yugoslavia, XF- wear (but nearly black for some reason)
10 pfennig 1919, Deutsches Reich (Weimar Germany?), same condition as above
10 fenigow 1917-F, Kingdom of Poland (??), F-VF (and even blacker than above)
4 ?? 1861-A, Austria(-Hungary?), G-ish
The Polish coin is magnetic; just in case, all of the others aren't.

Third: also about possible coin purchases.
A coin store I frequently visit (but haven't yet bought anything in - 90% of their coins are either too expensive for me or something I'm not interested in, at least for their price) apparently offers a silver bicentennial set (dollar, half, quarter) in three different varieties with three slightly different prices. What would be a fair price for such a set, and is it more or less than $35 (the lowest of those three prices)?

And fourth - a question that might look a little weird to you. Some background: you probably won't remember (as it was nearly a year ago), but I've already asked you about the cheapest silver coins I could buy to get some silver in my collection (the answer was "dimes").
Now, I have dozens of silver coins in my collection, including some relatively large and/or expensive ones; and now I'm hoping to also get some gold (especially now that it become a little bit cheaper than it was back then).
Question: which gold coin should I look for to be able to realistically pay the least for it? My current idea is "gold dollar", but those seem to be too old to be worth anywhere near metal value; I've also considered 1/10-ounce bullion coins of various countries, but they are apparently worth at least $150 apiece, and I'm ideally looking for something I could buy under $100 (and yes, I do realize just how tiny it needs to be to be worth so little).


...So what, how? :-)
January First-of-May

Anonymous said...

EDIT: for the 2 ore coin, I planned to say:

"2 ore 1954, Sweden, VF-XF (not that it's any more than an estimate, as those coins seem to be designed for minimal wear)".

Sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused. :-)

Man said...

but I'm considering taking the risk (especially since the dealer agreed to get me a decent holder for it) and buying this particular coin; is that worth it?
--Without knowing the specific coins it should be fine, Pitcairn Islands coins in proof generally keep high values since they have such low mintages.

Pitcairn dollar about $15.00

silver 50 escudo coin from the Portuguese colony of Sao Tome [and Principe], apparently about the 500th anniversary of discovery (it says "1470-1970")
--About $12.00

10 ore 1946, Norway, VF- about $0.25
5 ore 1973, Norway, VF-ish about $0.05
2 ore 1954, Sweden, VF-XF about $0.20
1 mongo 1959, Mongolia, XF-AU about $1.25
20 pfennig 1971, GDR, VF+ wear but some weird red spots on COA (obverse?) side about $0.25
10 paise 1974, India, F-ish about $0.50

1 dinar 1945, Yugoslavia, XF- wear about $2.50 it is zinc so it may be oxidizing

10 pfennig 1919, Deutsches Reich (Just Germany), same condition as above
--About $1.00 zinc also

10 fenigow 1917-F, Kingdom of Poland (??), F-VF (and even blacker than above)
--About $1.00 iron it is oxidizing

4 Kreuzer 1861-A, Austria(-Hungary?), G-ish
--About $1.00

For the iron and zinc coins they need to be in dark and dry places as the next part of oxidization is formation of white spots(zinc) or orange spot(iron) which will eat the coins to dust.

Man said...

silver bicentennial set (dollar, half, quarter)
--About $20.00 your instincts are correct they are overpriced.

which gold coin should I look for to be able to realistically pay the least for it?
--1/10 ounce bullion is the cheapest, if you can them for slightly above current metal values directly from the mint or online.
--Rounds from private mints are also good but you have to find honest sellers.
--The only other cheap gold is chains, forget coins and buy rope-chains of 22k gold from wholesale jewelers.

Anonymous said...

Well, there's one very strange update here: it doesn't technically involve any new coins.
Remember that Arabian coin about which I said, back on September 17, that it was too old and worn to identify? Well, today, after a little bit of internet search and deductive thinking, I finally managed to pin that one down - figuratively, that is :-)

The coin is: 25 pul 1313 AH (as far as I can tell, that would be 1935 CE), Afghanistan, G- or so condition. From what I could find, that sounds like a decent purchase, but I'm not sure how much so.

...So what, how? :-))
January First-of-May

Man said...

25 pul 1313 AH (as far as I can tell, that would be 1935 CE), Afghanistan, G-

About $1.00

Anonymous said...

Hello! My next list isn't exactly one of purchases; instead, I've got those coins for free (long story). Still, I'd be quite interested in how much could they be worth :-)

The coins:
10 copecks 1917-1967, USSR, x2 (one F-ish, one VF-ish)
15 ----------------------- (F+)
20 ----------------------- (F-)
10 copecks 1955, USSR, VF+
1 pfennig 1964-A, GDR, F-VF
5 ----------68-------, VF++
10 ------------------, VF--
10 mongo 1977, Mongolia, F-VF
-----------80----------, F-ish
20 h 1972, Czechoslovakia, F-ish
5 centesimos 1960, Uruguay, VF-XF


...So what, how? :-))
January First-of-May

Man said...

10 copecks 1917-1967, USSR, x2 (one F-ish, one VF-ish) about $0.25 and $0.50
15 ----------------------- (F+) about $0.30
20 ----------------------- (F-) about $1.00
10 copecks 1955, USSR, VF+ about $2.00
1 pfennig 1964-A, GDR, F-VF about $0.15
5 ----------68-------, VF++ about $0.50
10 ------------------, VF-- about $0.15
10 mongo 1977, Mongolia, F-VF about $0.35
-----------80----------, F-ish about $0.35
20 h 1972, Czechoslovakia, F-ish about $0.05
5 centesimos 1960, Uruguay, VF-XF about $0.15

Anonymous said...

Okay, another bunch of coins (I don't exactly remember the particular prices, so won't say, but total amount paid was about $8-10).

1 ruble 1967, USSR, VF+ (1917-1967 commemorative version with Lenin)
10 hellers? 1961, Czechoslovakia, VF--
5 h 1977-D, Czechoslovakia, VF+
10 bani 1998, Moldova, F-ish
20 groszy 1949, Poland, F-
100 lira 1977, Italy, XF++
50 lira 1956, Italy, F-VF
1 markka 1974, Finland, VF-XF
1 kr 1981, Sweden, VF-XF (but what an ugly, ugly picture)
2 filler 1926, Hungary, F-ish
10 pesetas 1983, Spain, XF+ (the small version)
2 c 1995, Malta, XF-
50 (whatever) 1988/1408, Kuwait, XF-ish (and with a very weird boat)
1 "silver" copeck 1840-EM, AG in wear but noticeably bent (also, not actually silver, but copper)
10? centimes 1854-B, France (Napoleon III), AG-ish (by which I mean, one side Good, the other Fair, in a way that just happened to make the date and mintmark clear; on the other hand, the amount of centimes was completely worn off, and I had to make quite a bit of research to find it out)

...So what, how? :-)
January First-of-May

Man said...

1 ruble 1967, USSR, VF+ (1917-1967 commemorative version with Lenin) about $2.00
10 Haleru 1961, Czechoslovakia, VF-- about $0.10
5 h 1977-D, Czechoslovakia, VF+ about $0.10
10 bani 1998, Moldova, F-ish about $0.10

20 groszy 1949, Poland, F-
about $0.25 if copper-nickel
about $0.10 if aluminum

100 lira 1977, Italy, XF++ about $0.35
50 lira 1956, Italy, F-VF about $0.50
1 markka 1974, Finland, VF-XF about $0.35
1 kr 1981, Sweden, VF-XF about $0.30
2 filler 1926, Hungary, F-ish about $0.10
10 pesetas 1983, Spain, XF+ (the small version) about $0.25
2 c 1995, Malta, XF- about $1.00
50 Fils 1988/1408, Kuwait, XF-ish about $0.35
1 "silver" copeck 1840-EM, AG in wear but noticeably bent (also, not actually silver, but copper) about $0.75
10? centimes 1854-B, France (Napoleon III), AG-ish about $0.35

Anonymous said...

Hello again!
My most recent acquisition is a coin that I have long wanted to find, and I very much believe that it was a near-steal at the price I eventually got it for, but just in case: what's your opinion?
The coin is: 1 penny 1797-"SOHO", Great Britain, in what seems to be a low Fair condition (that is, I can read 80% of the legends; the remaining 20% are in a bit of the edge that was significantly dinged up).
I paid $1.5 for it; so what's your opinion? ;-)


...So what, how? :-))
January First-of-May

Man said...

1 penny 1797-"SOHO", Great Britain, in what seems to be a low Fair condition (that is, I can read 80% of the legends; the remaining 20% are in a bit of the edge that was significantly dinged up).

About $2.50 because "edge that was significantly dinged up" is concerning any damage is bad even on the edge.

Still a cool coin.

Anonymous said...

During the last three days, I've went for coins twice, and spent a total of $50 on various coins and banknotes. About $10 of those were on our local banknotes your catalogues would probably overprice horribly, so I'll just list what I bought for the remaining $40...

Coins:
2 lati 1926, Latvia, XF-ish
1 grivna 2005 "Vladimir the Great", Ukraine, AU+
1 ruble 1991 "Sergei Prokofiev", USSR, proof (but would've been a MS if it wasn't a proof)
1.5 grosz 1624, Poland (equivalent), G-ish (yeah, 1624, that's my new record for oldest dated coin)
25 ore 1958, Sweden, VG-ish
12 1/2 centimes 2007, Venezuela, XF+++ (would've been a certain AU-MS if not for several scratches on the large 1)
500 bolivares 1998, Venezuela, XF+
half penny 1957, UK, XF-
1 franc 1945, Monaco, VF++ (no date on coin itself, had to google)
200 lire 1994, San Marino, AU-ish (and unfortunately FAO)
...and finally...
50 lire 1962, Vatican, AU-ish, and apparently commemorating the Second Vatican Council (thus, being a commemorative of the world's smallest country - not exactly something I ever expected to acquire).

Banknotes (those not local):
That list is actually quite short: out of the 12 banknotes I've bought, only two were from other countries! That is:
Hungary, 10000 ("tizezer") pengo, July 15, 1943, complete with the stamp (which, or so I've heard, was supposed to be there, but I've never seen banknotes with stamps before), and in decent banknotish condition (fine? I'm not sure how grades work with banknotes)
and Germany, 100000 ("hunderttausend") Mark, February 1, 1923, in VERY decent banknotish condition (remember that $10 star note I described a while ago? well, this one is better).



...So what, how? :-)
January First-of-May

Anonymous said...

PS: I've missed a bunch of recent (1973-1989) Polish coins here. I doubted they need any inclusion, as they seemed rather common to me, and costed less than $1 in total; in case you want to answer about those as well, though, I'm willing to list them to you. :-)

Man said...

About $10 of those were on our local banknotes your catalogues would probably overprice horribly,
--Just the opposite notes have 0 to face value if modern. Coins tend to be overpriced but notes always have less value.

Coins:
2 lati 1926, Latvia, XF-ish
--Listed as 2 Santimi ? about $8.00

1 grivna 2005 "Vladimir the Great", Ukraine, AU+
--About $1.50

1 ruble 1991 "Sergei Prokofiev", USSR, proof (but would've been a MS if it wasn't a proof)
--About $5.50

1.5 grosz 1624, Poland (equivalent), G-ish (yeah, 1624, that's my new record for oldest dated coin)
--About $5.00

25 ore 1958, Sweden, VG-ish
--About $1.00

12 1/2 centimes 2007, Venezuela, XF+++ (would've been a certain AU-MS if not for several scratches on the large 1)
--About $0.75

500 bolivares 1998, Venezuela, XF+
--About $0.50

half penny 1957, UK, XF-
--About $0.50

1 franc 1945, Monaco, VF++ (no date on coin itself, had to google)
--About $1.00

200 lire 1994, San Marino, AU-ish (and unfortunately FAO)
--About $0.75

50 lire 1962, Vatican, AU-ish, and apparently commemorating the Second Vatican Council (thus, being a commemorative of the world's smallest country - not exactly something I ever expected to acquire).
--About $2.00 unfortunately this commemorative is more common than the standard coin. 200,000 were made compared to 100,000 of the regular.

Banknotes (those not local):
Hungary, 10000 ("tizezer") pengo, July 15, 1943, complete with the stamp (which, or so I've heard, was supposed to be there, but I've never seen banknotes with stamps before), and in decent banknotish condition (fine? I'm not sure how grades work with banknotes)
--About $0.75

Germany, 100000 ("hunderttausend") Mark, February 1, 1923, in VERY decent banknotish condition
--About $5.00

Man said...

(1973-1989) Polish coins

Feel free to list them but yes most of these are $0.10 or less. Same with Russian notes after 1950.

Anonymous said...

Most (all but two) of the Russian notes are pre-1950 (indeed from the 1910s - late Empire, Civil War and RSFSR), so overpricing still sounds realistic :-)

And more for completeness' sake than anything, listing the Polish coins:
10 groszy 1977 VF-ish
20 ------ 1973 VF+
--------- 1985 XF-
50 ---------------
1 zloty 1986 XF++
2 zlotych 1985 VF++
5 ------- 1984 VF-XF
10 zlotych 1978 "Boleslav Prus" VF+

Man said...

Most (all but two) of the Russian notes are pre-1950 (indeed from the 1910s - late Empire, Civil War and RSFSR), so overpricing still sounds realistic :-)
--Again these notes are about $1.00 or less.

Polish coins:
10 groszy 1977 VF-ish about $0.02

20 ------ 1973 VF+ about $0.05
--Two varieties exist one with MW mintmark and one without.
Both are the same value.

--------- 1985 XF- about $0.10
50 --------------- about $0.20
1 zloty 1986 XF++ about $0.15
2 zlotych 1985 VF++ about $0.15
5 ------- 1984 VF-XF about $0.20
10 zlotych 1978 "Boleslav Prus" VF+ about $0.25

Anonymous said...

Okay, some newly bought coins again.

5 ore 1963, Sweden, VF-ish (I would've made yet another rant about those darn Swedes putting everything in such a way that it's impossible to judge the grade well, but this one is clearly a lower grade) - for about $2 (that coin had some cultural significance for me, though)
20 feninga 1998, Bosnia and Herzegovina, XF+ (for under $1)
5 rentenpfennig 1924-A, Germany, F-ish - for about $1.5 (I think I'll wash it soon, it looks like it's dirty)
2 lei 1941, Romania, VF+ wear - for about $1 (but the darned thing's clearly starting to corrode! anyone knows what to do to stop this?)
20 centesimi? 1940, Italy, VF+ - for under $1
20 copeck 1924, USSR, F-VF - for $3
50 centimos 1960, Venezuela, AU- (or XF+++) - for $5
...and finally...
200 reis 1893, Brazil, VF++, for just under $7, and in case anyone cares, with a clear die crack going down from the 8 in the date.

(I also bought a silver One Poltinnik from 1924 for about $11 in VF-ish condition. I doubt it's worth even that much, honestly.)



...So what, how? :-)
January First-of-May

Man said...

5 ore 1963, Sweden, VF-ish about $0.10

20 feninga 1998, Bosnia and Herzegovina, XF+ about $0.50

5 rentenpfennig 1924-A, Germany, F-ish about $5.00

2 lei 1941, Romania, VF+ wear - for about $1 (but the darned thing's clearly starting to corrode! anyone knows what to do to stop this?)
--About $0.25 this is a zinc coin and it's really difficult to stop the corrosion. Keep dry and away from light, maybe get a air-tite coin holder. Unfortunately anying corrosion kills the value and even if UNC details it will not be valued anything over $0.25.
Acid is the only way to remove the corrosion but a hole will left since the damage is permanent. Zinc coins are never recommended to be cleaned, even gently.

20 centesimi? 1940, Italy, VF+
--About $0.40 if plain edge or non-magnetic
About $1.00 if reeded edge

20 copeck 1924, USSR, F-VF about $5.00

50 centimos 1960, Venezuela, AU- about $2.15

200 reis 1893, Brazil, VF++, for just under $7, and in case anyone cares, with a clear die crack going down from the 8 in the date.
--About $5.00 the die crack does not add value

silver One Poltinnik from 1924 for about $11 in VF-ish condition about $20.00

Emyrs said...

Well, today my grandma found her Russian coin that my grandfather brought back with him from the war.
It's a Russian copper " 1 Kopeck? 1798 " in quite good condition apart from a weird indented scrape just under the date and slight deformity in the bottom of the rim.
How much would it be worth now?

Man said...

Russian copper " 1 Kopeck? 1798 " in quite good condition apart from a weird indented scrape just under the date and slight deformity in the bottom of the rim.

Because of the damage about $5.00. Still it is common and does not have a high value even in ine shape.

Anonymous said...

Hello again for another bunch of coins! Spend about $30 on them in total. (Also a few banknotes, but those were too local and recent to be jugded fairly.)

one dime (10 cents) 1945-S, US, low VF (according to official grading guides at least; and as far as I was able to determine, it's a completely normal S and not some kind of "micro" variety)
1 Neugroschen 10 Pfennige 1854-F, Saxony (or so says Google), G-ish
3 Mariengroshen 1820-LB, B.-C.-Hanover (or so says Google again), Poor (I just can't give it anything higher - it's pure luck that I even saw the denomination, and even then I had problems with the 3)
5 sen 1889? [Meiji 22], Japan, VF+
5$00 1967, Portugal, VF+
50 centimes 1938, France, VF+(ish)
1 pengo 1941, Hungary, XF+
2 pengo 1943, Hungary, XF-ish
20 cents 1987, Mauritius, XF-ish
10 cents 1997, Hong Kong, XF++
5 rentenpfennig 1924-A, Germany, VF-ish (I think I already posted that one)
1 ------------- ------- -------- XF+ (and the red is showing on a large part of the coin - if it was American I would've tried to claim RB)
- ------------- ------- -------- VF-XF (no idea why I took two of them - probably thought they had different mintmarks)
1 krona 1978, Iceland, VF-XF
10 aurar 1966, Iceland, XF++ (this coin is beautiful... unfortunately, as it's only 15 mm in diameter, hardly anyone can see how beatiful it is without using a magnifying glass)

...And finally, the main part! I've also bought (yes, that's included in the $30 total) sixteen (!) different Weimar-era German aluminium 50-pfennig coins; as they're all the same type, I'll only list dates, mintmarks and conditions.
1920-A, XF+
1921-A, XF+ (and a noticeable die crack jutting right from the stalks)
1922-A, XF+
1920-D, VF-XF
1921-D, XF? (parts of the stalks' stems just above and just below the insription are missing, but it looks much more like a weak strike or STG than wear)
1922-D, XF-? (some letters in the inscription are flattish - is that wear or again a bad strike?)
1920-F, XF- (but oh, the dirt)
1921-F, VF (certainly by far the worst of those 16 - but still good enough that if there weren't so many others I would've picked it for such a tiny price without a second thought)
1922-F, XF
1920-G, XF--
1921-G, XF
1922-G, VF++
1920-J, XF? (same problem as 1921-D above)
1921-J, XF--
1922-J, XF++
1920-OE? (that certainly was the odd one out), XF++? (same problem as 1921-D and 1920-J above)

Okay, that's all now :-)


...So what, how?
January First-of-May (now in 2012!)

Man said...

one dime (10 cents) 1945-S, US, low VF (according to official grading guides at least; and as far as I was able to determine, it's a completely normal S and not some kind of "micro" variety)
--About $2.25

1 Neugroschen 10 Pfennige 1854-F, Saxony (or so says Google), G-ish
--About $1.00

3 Mariengroshen 1820-LB, B.-C.-Hanover (or so says Google again), Poor
--About $1.75

5 sen 1889? [Meiji 22], Japan, VF+
--About $5.00

5$00 1967, Portugal, VF+ about $0.25
50 centimes 1938, France, VF+(ish) about $0.25
1 pengo 1941, Hungary, XF+ about $0.50
2 pengo 1943, Hungary, XF-ish about $0.50
20 cents 1987, Mauritius, XF-ish about $0.20
10 cents 1997, Hong Kong, XF++ about $0.15
5 rentenpfennig 1924-A, Germany, VF-ish about $1.00

1 ------------- ------- -------- XF+ (and the red is showing on a large part of the coin - if it was American I would've tried to claim RB)
--About $3.00

- ------------- ------- -------- VF-XF (no idea why I took two of them - probably thought they had different mintmarks)
--About $0.50

1 krona 1978, Iceland, VF-XF about $0.05
10 aurar 1966, Iceland, XF++ about $0.10

Weimar-era German aluminium 50-pfennig coins;
1920-A, XF+ about $1.00

1921-A, XF+ (and a noticeable die crack jutting right from the stalks)
--About $0.50

1922-A, XF+ about $1.00
1920-D, VF-XF about $0.50

1921-D, XF? (parts of the stalks' stems just above and just below the insription are missing, but it looks much more like a weak strike or STG than wear)
--About $0.10

1922-D, XF-? (some letters in the inscription are flattish - is that wear or again a bad strike?)
--About $0.10

1920-F, XF- about $2.50
1921-F, VF about $0.15
1922-F, XF about $1.00
1920-G, XF-- about $3.00
1921-G, XF about $1.00
1922-G, VF++ about $1.00

1920-J, XF? (same problem as 1921-D above)
--About $0.10

1921-J, XF-- about $1.00
1922-J, XF++ about $1.00

1920-OE? (that certainly was the odd one out), XF++? (same problem as 1921-D and 1920-J above)
--About $0.15, can only be E probably a die break in front of the E.

Whether the coin is a weak strike, deteriorated die, or worn that drops the value. Unless the entire series was made weak or if the weak strike is extreme like 90% of a missing design it does not add value.

Anonymous said...

Just in case: VF is short for "Very Fine", and is the grade between F and XF.
I'm saying that because your values for the 1945-S dime and the 5 rentenpfennig coin (both listed as VF) look unrealistically low (IIRC the former is even below the metal value).

And because it seems I've forgotten to say it in the original post: I really don't like the way how comments are made now. I do realize it's probably not your fault, though. :-)

Man said...

Just in case: VF is short for "Very Fine", and is the grade between F and XF.
I'm saying that because your values for the 1945-S dime and the 5 rentenpfennig coin (both listed as VF) look unrealistically low (IIRC the former is even below the metal value).

--Yes I know VF.
These are not low especially if not graded by a company they are actually a bit high.
As for silver value check out these current values at this site...
http://www.coinflation.com/
That U.S. dime is considered "junk silver" in this country, unless AU or higher.

And because it seems I've forgotten to say it in the original post: I really don't like the way how comments are made now. I do realize it's probably not your fault, though. :-)
--Me too. Blogger changed the way comments are made and it hides all long comment pages.
So I switched to this old fashioned way until they fix it.
Sorry, not my fault.

Anonymous said...

It's just that I've already posted the exact same coin here, just with lower grade (yes, now I actually have two - unlike the other double, this was just supposed to be an upgrade).
And you gave a higher price ($5 then versus $1 now).
So obviously now I'm a little confused :-)

Also, for the 1920-OE 50 pfennig: apparently, that's what the E is supposed to look like, judging by my cursory internet search. It's just that all the other mintmarks look exactly like the letters they are, and this one just looks weird (heck, at the place where I bought the coin, one guy whom I showed it to claimed it was an F until I showed him an actual F).

Man said...

t's just that I've already posted the exact same coin here, just with lower grade (yes, now I actually have two - unlike the other double, this was just supposed to be an upgrade).
And you gave a higher price ($5 then versus $1 now).
So obviously now I'm a little confused :-)

--Prices have dropped a lot in the last 6 months.
In the case of the 1924A German coin I was going by auction values since then they have flattened and returned to the normal book value.
I suspect someone was flooding the market.

Coins day by day change rapidly, this summer that U.S. dime was valued at $4.00 at all grades MS-60 or less.
Now MS-60 is $6.00 but anything lower is $2.25.
So if you bought only MS-60 dimes you would have a profit but if you bought all XF at $4.00 you would have lost.

Although I give spot prices (because I do not want people to over pay) I recommend holding on for 10 years if you want to really see the values.

Anonymous said...

Okay, so I went to what I thought was a coin market today and it was anything but. Either way, I got a pair of coins for [the equivalent of] 65 cents each... so what I'm asking is what are they actually worth?
One is a 1940 nickel (F-ish if I'm reading Photograde Online correctly). The other is a 1965 quarter (XF- from the same source). Both have no mintmark (i.e. Philadelphia).

Man said...

1940 nickel (F-ish if I'm reading Photograde Online correct
--About $0.10

1965 quarter (XF- from the same source).
--Just $0.25

Anonymous said...

Here's one weird question if there was one :-)
On Molotok.Ru - about the closest Russian equivalent to eBay - I found a "Buy It Now" coin listed for the equivalent of $3.50 (of which half is postage).
Now, the coin is listed as "USA 1 cent 1890(?)", but instead of an IHC (which a real 1890 would've been), the picture is of a Matron/Coronet type cent (i.e. 1816-1839).
Now, there is a slight possibility that the coin is actually an IHC (unlikely though - judging by the guy's other offers (mostly various moderns at similar prices), it's much more likely that he doesn't know what a Coronet cent is, and can't tell it's not from 1890), and either way its condition is on the low end of Fair.
The "auction" has 11 hours to go as I write this, and as it's a BIN (and also mislabeled, so nobody's going to find it looking for Coronets) it's unlikely that I get overbid, so I feel safe-ish posting it here.
Question (if you didn't get it already): is it actually worth it to buy such a coin? ;-)

P.S. I could give a link to the auction if you want; currently I'm too afraid of someone buying the coin after noticing the discussion here :-)

Man said...

listed for the equivalent of $3.50 (of which half is postage).
Now, the coin is listed as "USA 1 cent 1890(?)", but instead of an IHC (which a real 1890 would've been), the picture is of a Matron/Coronet type cent


Matron/Coronet type cent averages $20.00 with a readable date.

Without date about $2.00.

If IHC 1890 cent about $3.00, $0.30 if no date.

Sounds like a mistake with pictures be careful.

Man said...

listed as "USA 1 cent 1890(?)"

Found the США 1 цент 1890 (?) pages at molotok.ru...
One picture may a true 1890 cent but very low grade.

The other is a 1820-1834 cent but in very poor condition. It's possible that you can narrow the date by the stars and hair.

If you trust the seller then it maybe worth it.

Anonymous said...

Okay, here's another weird question.
I've always wanted to include in my collection coins from as many US mints as possible.
Now, of course, I can easily accept I'll never get Charlotte and Dahlonega, as those only made early gold coins which are way beyond my realistic price range (heck, any historical US gold coin, with the possible exception of badly-preserved gold dollars, is outside my realistic price range).
Philadelphia and Denver are the easy ones - I've got both from the first time I had any US money in my collection.
San Francisco is a little harder; I currently have two S-minted coins (a half from 1941 and a dime from 1945; I've featured both in my previous posts).
West Point only makes bullion, with the brief exception of the 1996-W dime. I'll probably check that one with a Silver Eagle or something like that, but it's not in any immediate consideration.
That only leaves New Orleans (the O-mint).

Now, the actual question: which O-minted coins would, by your approximation, be the cheapest to acquire? I'd prefer, ideally, a XF-ish grade, but I realize that it's unlikely, so also tell me if the answers for VF, F, VG and/or G are different than that (I'm not willing to go beyond that low, unless you have a particular coin in mind).
And I sincerely hope this coin wouldn't be a "near-melt-value" Morgan ;-) as prices for those tend to be awfully overblown (currently, the cheapest O-minted coin I've seen on sale was an 1859 half in VG for $100; that means I've never seen an O-minted Morgan selling for less).

...So what, how? :-)
January First-of-May


P.S. I've bought the cent. Now I'm thinking how to (1) actually pay for it and (2) actually get the coin ;-)

Man said...

which O-minted coins would, by your approximation, be the cheapest to acquire?

This is difficult for a non-American, I can get a 1909-O half dollar for about $20.00 in F.
1902-O dime for $25.00 in VF.
All on eBay and these are overpriced.

Realistically for any O mint coin you should not pay more than $50.00 in EF.

I mean for an MS-65 1884-O dollar cost $180...
http://stacksbowers.com/rarecoinsales/

But I'm in the U.S. so I do not know if this is an option for you.

Anonymous said...

Finally got that Matron Head cent by mail :-) I'm not sure if it's actually a date or just my brain playing tricks with me, but after several minutes of holding my newly-acquired coin under various versions of lighting I'm fairly sure I see the last two digits: 23 (that is, 1823).
And on the same brain-trickery tangent: remember that 1923 Peace dollar in Fair which I talked about ages ago? The one that was mislabeled as 1921? Well, recently, I've looked up where the mintmark should've been, took a magnifying glass and looked. Didn't really have any serious hopes - but apparently it's a S. Does that change the value, and which that (un)changed value would be?

Another question is a variation of the one I've mentioned before. In the list of mints I've posted here a few weeks ago, one mint was missing: Carson City. So the question is, what is the cheapest (well, least expensive) Carson City minted coin to acquire?
And on a related tangent yet again: what is the cheapest gold coin to acquire? I'm not talking about random bullion (or I would've just bought chains in the first place) - I'm talking about actual gold coins (e.g. gold dollars of the 19th century - though they probably aren't the cheapest). Also, ideally I would want coins that would've actually circulated (as opposed to recent commemoratives that were never intended for circulation).

...So what, how? :-)
January First-of-May

Man said...

Matron Head cent...fairly sure I see the last two digits: 23
--About $20.00 if it can be certified

1923 Peace dollar in Fair it's a S
--About $28.00 it is common

So the question is, what is the cheapest (well, least expensive) Carson City minted coin to acquire?
--About $20.00 for a good 1876CC dime

what is the cheapest gold coin to acquire?...circulating type
--About $80.00- $150.00 1853 Liberty Gold Dollar in fine or less. The price of gold changes so fast that it has a large range so try and buy low.

jlwalt53 said...

I have a 1917 1967 20 Kopek coin. Can you tell me value?

Jim

Man said...

1917-1967 20 Kopek coin

About $1.00 in fine

Anonymous said...

Hi Man - I have 3 Russian coins that I'd like your input on please? I'm seeing high valuations on the 1973's that I'd like to believe, but don't.
1957 one kopek - 15 ribbons, very little wear, "rare", maybe VF - XF.
1973 fifteen kopek - reeded edge, very shiny, close to AU (if not a fake).
1973 20 kopek - reeded edge, very little wear, but a little stained - maybe VF.
If the 1973's do have a high value, do you know why? Thank you for any info you have, Lyrae

Man said...

1957 one kopek - 15 ribbons, very little wear, "rare", maybe VF - XF.
--About $5.00

1973 fifteen kopek - reeded edge, very shiny, close to AU (if not a fake).
--About $8.00

1973 20 kopek - reeded edge, very little wear, but a little stained - maybe VF.
--About $15.00

Not all 1973 are that high but they usually do have extra value. While the actual mintage is not known they were made in lower amounts and poor quality but I think the values online are a bit high.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much! (I knew NGC had to be way off on those - ) Lyrae

Man said...

(I knew NGC had to be way off on those - )

There are varieties that some times fetch higher values but I cannot say what is different.

Still the most common types have normal values.

Anonymous said...

I'm just happy to have some Russian coins to add to my collection, especially ones in decent condition. Everything I have access to shows -0- information on Russian mintages (not surprising) - even Krause. I was getting frustrated, so came to you. Thank you again! Lyrae

Man said...

Everything I have access to shows -0- information on Russian mintages (not surprising) - even Krause. I was getting frustrated, so came to you.

The former USSR was not big o public announcements and the only way people knew they wee shortages was via banks.

The 1970s had several shortages. Now with grading there are few high grade coins from those years.

Anonymous said...

I have a 5 Kopek coin from 2003..Value uncirculated?? My wifes father worked for Dupont Co. and was head of relations to get a factory built..I have a lot of coins fromsoviet Union(CCCP)1-2-3-5-10-15 20 I think Kopeks but som espelled a litlle different..The 20 kopeks are dated 1961(6) and 2 are dated 1917-1967 with writing on back
My name is john Yunker and my e-mail is jay917@aol.com

Man said...

Depends a lot on mint marks but I'll assume the most common.

5 Kopek coin 2003 uncirculated about $0.35

20 kopeks
1961 about $0.30
1917-1967 about $1.00

Unknown said...

I have a die crack error of 20 koheek dated 1961.how much it worth in collected coins?