Help with Approx. Valuations Requested

AbesNeighbor

I usually hang out on the US Coin Forum, but had some questions about foreign coins I hoped someone could help me with. A very good friend of mine has inherited a number of Russian proof and Chinese Proof coins. He has asked me about values and I don't have a clue. I have seen these coins and they are magnificent... Still in mint packaging. He had a 1 ounce Russian Bear Gold coin and I just happened to see where one sold on E-bay for $4,900.

Any help you can give me on these would be greatly appreciated.

1) 1990 1 oz platinum panda
2)1994 1 oz gold unicorn proof
3)1993- 4pcs. russian bear set 3-gold 1-silver coins
4)1994-Hawaian queen Liliulani proof set 3-gold 1 silver

Thanks in advance for your help

Dan Cheatham

lordmarcovan

<< <i>4)1994-Hawaian queen Liliulani proof set 3-gold 1 silver >>

Since Hawaii has not been a sovereign nation with its own coinage since the 1800s, I suspect these will be medals of some sort.

AbesNeighbor

I agree... Don't even know if they have any value other than bullion value.

lordmarcovan

Well, the bullion value's nothing to sneeze at, these days.

Besides, as far as the coins go, I have found that catalog values in my 2006 Krause often lag well behind current bullion values anyway, so that's sort of a moot point. With nice packaging, you can probably expect a modest premium over the bullion value, which in most cases is probably gonna be higher than the catalog value.

Beware of counterfeits, though. I hate to say it and paint all Chinese material with such a broad brush, but China happens to be the current epicenter of coin counterfeiting. This is not to suggest that your friend's coins are fake, naturally. In addition to lots of counterfeits, the Chinese produce some lovely genuine coins, too.

But you knew all that.

coinpictures

Also be wary of gold and silver plate as opposed to assuming they're true bullion...