s*u*o
It is "scudo" (I'm also on the giant Christmas general knowledge crossword!!) ;-)
Scudo
soldo scudo
frank
Livre
Lira.
No, scratching an old gold coin won't reveal silver. Gold and silver are distinct metals; scratching gold won't change its composition to silver.
Jewelers and coin dealers buy gold and silver.
Old French coins would be called Francs. now the currency of money there is called Eros, but very old French coins were called Francs. Singular is Franc. Plural is Francs.
No 1911 silver dollars were made, look at the coin again and post new question.
You should never polish a silver dollar or any old coin. Any standard silver polish you have at home will damage the coin's surface and reduce its value.
Old English Pounds (Sovereigns) were minted in 22 carat gold, not silver.
Don't assume every old coin is made of silver. Your coin has a V on it because V is the Roman numeral for 5, so you have a nickel, made of plain old nickel and copper. It's most commonly called a Liberty nickel, but sometimes it's referred to as a "V nickel". See the Related Question for more details.
No such phrase exists. There's no such thing as free silver. The idea is to go to a bank and ask for half dollars in hopes that an old silver coin might be in the mix, but there is absolutely no guarantee about it.