Metal content of foreign coins
 

Yesterday I was given 7 one gallon containers, full of various coins from around the world. I found a little 90% American in there, as well as several Nazi coins, an Indian head penny (unfortunately with a hole punch through it :thumpdown), and a couple of other odds and ends. Most of the coins are pre-1980.

Does anyone know of a site that helps you identify the coins and get their metal content. There are quite a few coins from Europe, South Africa, Australia etc. that might have some silver content. Unfortunately, all the sites I have found on this subject are extremely vague, or limited to Canada and Mexico.

Any help is appreciated! :applause_

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

This is a nice start:

ASIAN / ARABIC SILVER STANDARD: 0.917, India 1860-1939, Saudi Arabia

BRITISH STERLING SILVER STANDARD: 0.925 silver, or 92.5% : Great Britain until 1920 (1920 can be both), Australia 1910-1945, Canada 1858-1919.

US/American: 0.900 United States until 1964, Panama 1930-1962, Peru unitl 1917 ,Switzerland 5 francs 1850-1930, Venezuela 5 bolivares

EUROPEAN STANDARD: 0.835, 83.5% silver: France 1864-1969, Greece 20-30 drachmai 1960-1965, Switzerland except 5 francs before 1930, Venezuela 1/4-2 bollivares until 1965

0.8330 Egypt until 1950

0.8300 most Ottoman empire

0.8000 Austria 25 schilling, Canada 1920-1967, South Africa 1923-1950, Rand 1965-1986, Spain 100 pesetas 1966-1970

0.7500 silver Philippines 1937-1945

0.7200,72% silver Netherlands gulden and higher 1922-1967 (some 1967 are nickel), Ecuador 1928-1944, Egypt 1952-present, Guatemala, Mexico 20 centavos-1 peso 1920-1945,1950-1954 5 pesos,25 pesos 1968 Olympic

0.6440 Austria 5 schillings 1960-1968, 10 schillings 1957-1973

0.6250 German 5 mark 1951-1974

0.600, Japan 100 yen 1957-1962, Lebanon 1952 50 piastre

BRITISH REDUCED STANDARD: 0.500 silver,or 50%. Great Britain 1920-1946(1920 can be both), Australia 1946-1963, Canada 1968 quarters (some are nickel), India 1940-1945,Peru 1920-1935, South Africa 1951-1964

0.400 US Kennedy halves 1965-1969, Panama silver 1966-1972, Sweden krona 1942-1967

0.300 Mexico 25-50 centavos 1950-1953,1950 1 peso

0.100 silver : Mexico Peso 1957-1967

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

Good site for info on foreign coins http://worldcoingallery.com/

You are fortunate to get such a good haul .. also fun to go through. Have fun with the Japanese and Chinese coins, those are the hardest for a westerner to figure out.

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

lioncoins.com is helpful also, especially for Japanese coins

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

Wanna sell any? I'd be willing to buy some bulk lots. My daughter and I love to go through them and figure out what they're worth. And she collects ones from countries she doesn't have. PM me if interested.

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

I had great fun going through a couple bags of foreign coins with my young daughter ... coins from around the world with different languages and faces and what not on them .. a good experience and time to spend with the little one.

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

Thanks for the feedback, everybody.

It's been a lot of fun going through this stuff. It's going to take a LONG time. There is a lot of Canadian pennies and nickels from the 50's to the 70's, tons of European coins going back as early as 1906, South American coins, Asian coins, Australian, and virtually everywhere else in the world.

For me, the Arabic coins are going to be the hardest to ID. There is really nothing even remotely "Western" about them. At least on the Asian coins you can read the numbers if nothing else.

There are some coins that make you want to cry, too, like the WWII German coins, and the early American coins with holes punched through them. It looks like someone used them on a necklace or keyring. :thumpdown

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

I've found that determining metal content on even well known coins can be challenging.
I was recently given a 1965 Churchill 5-shilling piece. I was able to learn everything you could possibly know about the fricking coin EXCEPT the copper/nickel ratio. It seems that such a widely circulated and recognizable coin that somewhere in the internets the farking metal content would be detailed.

Does anyone know the specifics on this coin?

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

I'm pretty sure it's 75% copper and 25% nickel. Neat coin, too.

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

I think you are right about the alloy. We Brits refer to these 5/- coins as "Crowns" and the Churchill was a one-off for 1965.


Found another reference:
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/Coins.html

Re: Metal content of foreign coins
 

http://secure.numismaster.com/ta/Coi...DVOTCXWFNZUEHI

Best online resource, hands down. I thnk you have to register with the site to use it, but well worth the effort.