I have a 1788 Massachusetts Common Wealth Coin in good condition given to me by my Great Grandfather before he died..anyone know what this type of coin is worth?
Nice specimen. About $200-$300 retail. I'd be able to tell more if it was in hand, including variety. Variety and rarity could have a significant impact and make it worth more.
would i go to a coin shop and have it appraised or do i need a specialist to tell me the variety and rarity?
More than likely a coin shop isn't going to know how to attribute the variety of the coin. Not too many folks can diagnose colonials. Post some more close-up shots of the specimen, front and back, and I can attribute.
I agree with Cheetah. Post some good straight on pix front and back. I live in Massachusetts and most of my local dealers know squat about Colonials. Taking it to your local coin shop may be a waste of time. On here you will get the advise of some experts in the field. And...Welcome to CoinTalk!!! :welcome:
I am sorry, where are my manners. Welcome to the Forum! Breen is the author of "Breen's complete encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial coins". There are better references on the colonial coins, but I don't have those at hand. Perhaps a specialist will come to our aid. There are more than 10 varieties of the coin, and this has a period after the "Massachusetts" ( others have no period there) and the last 2 "S" in Massachusetts are called open rather than closed ( which resembles the number 8, the serifs are sp close). I do not collect colonials, but do know that counterfeits are known, and verification should be by experts. Jim
Thank You!! And i see now what you mean when i took a closer look. from what i have seen and read this appears to be genuine but im definitley no expert obviously...so hopefully an expert WILL come to our aid. Thanks for your explanation. And I have seen a lot of vaieties of this coin. I just was unsure the variety i had. Thanks again.
