Is a jar of foreign coins worth anything?
Most inherited coin collections are mainly common circulated coinage worth close to face value, with a small number of genuinely interesting pieces mixed in. The job is finding those without damaging anything.
What decides the value
- ·Date and mint mark together — the mint mark is the small letter (S, D, CC, O) and it often matters more than the date
- ·Silver content: US dimes, quarters and halves dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver and worth many times face value as metal alone
- ·Key dates within a series (e.g. 1909-S VDB cent, 1893-S Morgan dollar, 1916-D Mercury dime)
- ·Errors: doubled dies, off-centre strikes, wrong planchets
- ·Whether it is a proof or business strike, and whether it is still in original packaging
Is a jar of foreign coins worth anything?+
Most inherited coin collections are mainly common circulated coinage worth close to face value, with a small number of genuinely interesting pieces mixed in. The job is finding those without damaging anything.
What should I not do with foreign coins?+
Do not clean the coins. Any of them. Ever. Cleaning leaves microscopic scratches that graders detect instantly. A cleaned coin routinely loses 50–90% of its value, and it cannot be undone. This is the single most expensive mistake heirs make.
How do I find out what mine are worth?+
Photograph them. Five photographs are free; a full report is $39. We never buy or sell, so there is no reason for us to undervalue anything.