What is value of foreign coins?

Answer 1

That depends quite a bit on what you have! Are your foreign(*) coins current circulation pieces? What country or countries are they from? If they're current issues (e.g. Japanese yen, British pounds/pence or EU euros/cents), your best bet would be to find someone who's travelling to one of those places and sell them at the current exchange rate. You can find rates posted on line or in the financial section of any major newspaper. Unfortunately most exchange agencies (American Express, Deak, etc.) don't want to exchange coins, only bills, so you'll have to trade them privately. If they're older coins or very mixed, you'll need to take them to a hobby shop or somewhere similar to have them looked at in person. In most cases they're probably not worth more than their face value, maybe less if they're no longer used (e.g. francs, marks, lira, etc.) but you still ought to make sure you don't have some more valuable piece mixed in. If they're common, a dealer will only pay you a small amount and will probably put them in a grab box. (*) Please note that I had to make a minor spelling correction to your posting so that the word "foreign" could be found by a standard search.

Answer 2

This is a huge question and needs a lot more information to answer.

First, there are about 3 types of foreign coins out there, each with different values.

First are collector coins, these are coins that are rare or have precious metals in them. They can be worth quite a bit of money because there are many people who collect world coins just as seriously as US coin collectors collect US Coins (just look at all the die varieties out there for British Bun Head pennies!)

Second are currently circulating coins. These are coins that are in active circulation in foreign countries. They don't have any precious metal content greater than face value and so their price is only that of exchange rates. Coins that would fall into this category are circulation-issue Euros and post-decimal British coins.

Thirdly are coins that used to be circulating but have little collector value. Examples of these are the later Soviet coins, and a lot of the pre-Euro European Coins, such as the Irish decimal coins. These coins really aren't worth all that much, but you couldn't take them to their country or a currency exchange place and convert them. They are interesting curiosities however, and errors might mean they could be worth more.

Answer 3

I guess I am not alone in having accumulated a jar of coins and small notes from trips abroad. When I moved house I was going to put them on eBay but the idea of sorting, photographing and packing etc etc was all a bit too much especially as some of them were no longer legal currency.

Anyway, I found a firm on the net, sent them off in one secure envelope, they apparently repatriate them when they have about 1000kg.

They sent me an offer to buy them, even the little 1 cent US coins. Said yes and the money arrived in my bank account. As the Meerkats say on that TV advert, "Simples".

Oh yes, it was cash4coins.co.UK

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Answer 4

All coins of precious metals, usually those minted of Silver and Gold, have value, without regard to date. The specific value is determined by the percentage of the precious metal, for example Mexico has issues Silver Pesos during the past century which had 10% Silver. Many countries have issued Silver Coins with the following purities being common: .500, .825, .900, the higher the purity, the more value. Most of the Silver coins issued by the USA have been minted with a .900 purity, but the last few years of the "Kennedy Half Dollars" were 40% or .400 purity.

As of the current writing of this response, Silver has increased extremely in value due primarily to the excessive expenditures of the previous and current Administrations, which have greatly reduced our buying power. Currently (12/2010) the "face" value of US Silver Coins of 1964 and before, is illustrated by the current offers to buy at 16 times "face" value.

There are at least three values to coins, banknotes, etc:

The issued value. The face or written value.

The numismatic value. The amount which a collector may pay for it.

The sentimental value. The value which is bestowed on an item given by a loved one. This value is unique to the recipient, and is not usually transferable.

Answer 5

Yes, but it depends on the coin, the year, the condition and the country of origin. Modern foreign coins are unlikely to bring a premium over the equivalent face value of them unless they are collector coins (such as gold maple leafs, gold pandas, Britannias, Kuggrands, etc.) but older foreign coins are collectible and can be worth quite a bit of money.

Answer 6

They're worth at least their face value. To get the value on collectible Japanese coins, you have to be more specific with regard to year, markings, etc.

Answer 7

i have a few foreign coins and would like to know if they are worth like a 1949 10 pfennig

Answer 8

Of course. The financial worth would depend on many factors like condition, rarity, what country it is from, etc.

Answer 9

Dollar coins are worth... ready?... $1.00