Inherited Coins... does anyone recognize these?

NamesJay

I took pictures of the fronts of these coins... if it isn't enough information to determine "what" they are, I can take scans of the backs of them. I'm not familiar with coin collecting (obviously) but I'm eager to learn.

I don't think these are worth anything, but, they do have special meaning, so if anybody has any information on these coins, please feel free to let me know.

dan8402

It looks like you have a number of different things there. The top right coin is a US walking liberty half dollar. You also have some Swiss coins (coins with a shield with a + or cross on it). The 2nd row/2nd column coin looks to be French. The lower right looks like a Italian 50 Lira.

I would have to look further to determine value or everything, but the walking liberty half is .90 silver with a bullion value of about $5.80 currently.

I hope that is at least a good start, I'm sure others will jump in too.

lordmarcovan

With only a few exceptions, your coins are all from Greece, Italy, and Switzerland.

The Greek coins will be instantly recognizable since they use the Greek alphabet. Greek coins are denominated in drachmas, which are variously spelled "DRACHMAI" or "DRACHMES" on the coins (in Greek, of course). The word begins with the Greek letter delta, which looks like a triangle.

"REPVBBLICA ITALIANA" will be on the Italian coins. The denominations will be in lire (50 lire, 100 lire, etc.).

"CONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA" will be on the Swiss coins. The fractional denominations will be in rappen. The minor coins will not say "rappen" on them, but if you see "5" or "10" or "20" on the reverses, you've got a 5-rappen, 10-rappen, or 20-rappen piece, respectively. It looks like you also have some Swiss francs. (100 rappen = 1 franc). The rappen coins show just a female head on the obverse while the 1/2-franc, 1-franc, and 2-franc pieces have a full standing figure. These are some of the longest-running coin designs in world history, having made their debut around 1879. Some also refer to the rappen coins as "centimes", which is the French equivalent.



There are a few other countries in your mix:

Top left, second row, first coin is Spanish. Spanish coins are denominated in pesetas, which is usually abbreviated "PTAS". The coin to the right of it is French.

The coin at top right is, as mentioned previously, a US Walking Liberty half dollar. It is the only silver coin in the group, being .900 fine with a bullion weight of .3617 ounces of silver. Look on the left side of the reverse, below the branch- is there a mintmark there? It will either have a tiny "D" (Denver), "S" (San Francisco), or no mintmark at all (Philadelphia).

The coin to the left of the Walking Liberty half is a Bahamian 25-cent piece. Two coins below it, the coin with the scalloped edge and the two bonefish on the reverse is a Bahamian 10-cent piece.

The other, smaller coin below the Bahamian 10-cent piece, which also has a scalloped edge of a different sort, is a Spanish 50-peseta piece.

Other than that, everything I see is Greek, Italian, or Swiss.

woodardcoin

nice collection