Most old foreign coins are worth only a few cents each. The bag of francs, lire, pesetas, marks and pence left over from travel, or from a relative's time abroad, usually sells for roughly $3 to $8 a pound to collectors who sort for fun. The exceptions are worth real money: older silver coins, which are worth their metal, large silver crowns from before 1950, gold coins, and a short list of scarce types. Finding them starts with reading the legend and checking the date.
Pre-euro coins from the 1960s to 2001 are the most common find, and they are almost all common. They were made in huge numbers and most can no longer be exchanged at banks. Germany's Bundesbank still exchanges Deutsche Mark coins and notes with no deadline, which is the main exception worth knowing.
Silver changes the picture. Many countries made circulating coins in silver well into the 20th century, and a handful of those in a mixed bag can be worth more than everything else combined.
How to read the legend
The legend is the text around the edge. When the country name is not in English, these words are the giveaways:
| Legend reads | Country |
|---|---|
| HELVETIA, CONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA | Switzerland |
| NORGE | Norway |
| SVERIGE | Sweden |
| DANMARK | Denmark |
| SUOMI, SUOMEN TASAVALTA | Finland |
| MAGYAR | Hungary |
| DEUTSCHES REICH | Germany 1871-1945 |
| BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND | West Germany, Germany |
| EIRE | Ireland |
| ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS | Mexico |
| REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE, RF | France |
| REPUBBLICA ITALIANA | Italy |
| CCCP | Soviet Union |
| POLSKA, RZECZPOSPOLITA | Poland |
| NIPPON or Japanese characters | Japan |
| D G REG F D, IND IMP | United Kingdom or Commonwealth |
British and Commonwealth coins often do not name the country at all. They name the monarch in Latin abbreviations, such as GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX or ELIZABETH II D G REG F D. "D G" means Dei Gratia, by the grace of God, and "F D" means Fidei Defensor, Defender of the Faith. "IND IMP" (Emperor of India) appears on British coins up to 1947 and helps date them.
Arabic, Chinese, Thai and Hebrew coins often carry dates in other calendars. The Islamic AH year runs about 579 years behind the Western year, and the Thai Buddhist year is 543 years ahead. A coin that seems to say 1380 or 2510 is not ancient.
The honest truth about most world coins
The great majority of world coins in circulation after about 1950 were struck in the hundreds of millions in copper, nickel, aluminum or brass. Collectors already have them, so dealers sell them from bulk bins at 10 to 50 cents each and buy them by weight. Age alone is not value: a worn 1920s British penny is common, and a 1960s Italian lira coin is worth a few cents.
That said, a quick sort is worth doing. Silver coins are mixed into many of these bags, often without the owner knowing.
What is worth money
Silver content
Many countries used silver in everyday coins. The cut-off years to know:
- United Kingdom: sterling (92.5 percent) to 1919, 50 percent silver from 1920 to 1946, cupronickel after.
- Canada: 80 percent silver dimes, quarters, halves and dollars through 1966. 1967 and some 1968 coins are mixed.
- Sweden: silver coins through 1968.
- Switzerland: silver half francs, 1 and 2 francs through 1967, 5 francs through 1969.
- Mexico: silver pesos and smaller coins until the late 1960s, in varying fineness.
- Germany: silver Reichsmark coins of the 1920s and 1930s and silver 5 Mark commemoratives of West Germany.
- Australia: pre-1945 silver is sterling, 1946 to 1964 is 50 percent; the 1966 round 50 cent is 80 percent.
The weight and fineness give the silver content, and the silver price gives the floor. A dealer will pay close to melt for common silver world coins.
Pre-1950 crowns
Crowns are large, dollar-sized coins, usually around 38 mm. Before 1950, most were silver and struck in smaller numbers. Examples include British crowns, German 5 Mark pieces, French 5 franc pieces of the 1800s, Mexican 8 reales and pesos, and Chinese dollars. Common crowns are worth their silver plus a modest premium. Scarce dates can sell for hundreds.
Chinese silver dollars deserve a warning. Fakes of the "Fat Man" Yuan Shikai dollar and dragon dollars far outnumber the real coins in the West. Weight, ring and edge reeding are the first checks, and a valuable one should go to PCGS or NGC.
Gold
Gold sovereigns, French 20 francs, Swiss 20 francs, Mexican pesos and similar pieces are worth their gold content plus a few percent. A British sovereign contains 0.2354 oz of gold, so even a common date is worth hundreds of dollars. Restrikes, such as Mexican 1947-dated 50 pesos and Austrian 1915-dated ducats, are worth their gold but not a historic premium.
Key types and scarce dates
Some world coins are worth far more than metal: early Scandinavian coins, scarce British pennies like the 1933 (only a few made), pre-1900 German state coins and many coins from small mintages. These are not usually sitting in a travel jar, but they turn up in older family collections.
Catalog numbers
The standard reference for world coins is the Standard Catalog of World Coins by Krause, which assigns each type a KM# number. A listing such as "Great Britain, KM#838, 1/2 crown 1937" tells a buyer exactly which coin you have, and searching that number with "sold" on auction sites shows real prices. Scandinavian coins are also listed by Sieg, and British coins by Spink.
Common finds and typical values
Approximate values, for circulated examples:
| Coin | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Pre-euro coins 1960-2001 (francs, lire, pesetas) | 5-25 cents each, or $3-8 per pound |
| Deutsche Mark coins | Face value at the Bundesbank |
| UK pre-decimal pennies and halfpennies | 10-50 cents |
| UK sixpence or shilling, 1920-1946 | Silver value, about half the metal of pre-1920 |
| UK silver half crown before 1920 | Silver value plus $2-5 |
| Canadian silver dime or quarter before 1967 | Silver value |
| Mexican silver 1 peso, 1950s | Silver value plus $1-3 |
| Maria Theresa thaler dated 1780 (restrike) | Silver value, about 0.75 oz |
| British crown, George V or VI | Silver value plus $5-30 |
| Chinese "Fat Man" dollar, genuine | $40-100 and up |
| British gold sovereign | Gold value |
| Soviet and Eastern Bloc coins | 5-25 cents |
| Commemorative 5 Mark (West Germany, silver) | Silver value plus a little |
Photos that settle it
- Both sides, straight on, so the legend and date can be read
- An edge shot, since silver, lettered and reeded edges tell types apart
- A weight on a kitchen scale for anything that might be silver or gold
- A close-up of any mint mark or small letters near the date
If the box also contains US coins, start with the inherited coins guide, since American silver is often the biggest part of the value.