Some of your coins are from Germany, The lady walking is from France, here is a place that will help http://www.worldcoingallery.com/ Cheryl
The first is a 2 mark from Prussia, the leader state of the Second Reich. Nr. 2 is a 2 mark of the City-state of Hamburg, also part of the German empire. Nr. 3 is a circulation 1 mark coin from the German empire. Nr. 4 is a Russian imperial 50 kopeks coin with the head of czar Nicholas II Nr. 5 is an Austrian 6 kreuzer coin Nr. 6 is France 1 franc, with the beautiful "sewer"-design (la semeuse), which was used on the coins of the "heavy" franc from 1960 until the introduction of the euro. Even on the French euro coins this design is still used. Nr. 7 is a silver 20 centavos from Columbia, with the head of Simon Bolivar. Nr. 8 is a half stiver coin from the colony of Essequibo and Demerary, nowadays the Republic of Guyana in South America. Coins of these colony are not seen very often. I am afraid I don't have my catalogs at hand, so I can't give more information about value.
Thanks so much! And on the Austrian 6 Kreuzer, was it really minted in the seventeen hundreds? Are they hard to find in this grade?
Small correction to Barts list... the French standing figure of Marianne was introduced in 1898 and continued until 1920... it was then re-introduced in 1958 following the French currency reform... and was as Bart says used until the introduction of the Euro. Best wishes, Mike.
Whether that woman is Marianne is arguable. Usually, when it comes to the "emblèmes de la France" on coins, you have Marianne (head only) and the Semeuse (Sower, full figure in front of the rising sun). Even on today's euro circulation coins you see both - Marianne on the 1, 2 and 5 cent pieces, the Semeuse on the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins. (By the way, I hope the semeuse never turns into a sewer. ) The eagle side of the Austrian kreuzer is depicted upside down. The "B" mint mark is for Kremnica, now in Slovakia. Christian
My World coin book states it a fact that it is the standing figure of Marianne.... but I guess if you believe otherwise then there is perhaps some doubt somewhere. Anyone else any ideas on the subject?? Best wishes, Mike.
What a difference one letter makes. "Sewer", an underground waste disposal system. "Sower", one who plants food. Well, if it is in a published book it is undoubtedly true. But then, of course, someone else has posted a Wikipedia article devoted to "Marianne on Stamps" and illustrated it with more than a dozen stamps displaying semeuse, and at least some Frenchmen seem to equate one with the other. Life is full of conundrums!
It sure is difficult, and maybe even impossible, to keep the two apart. Marianne is depicted with the Phrygian Cap as a symbol of liberty; the Sower (on older medals for example) does not necessarily have one. Maybe it originally was, similarly to the Cérès on French 19c coins, a symbol of agriculture and the fertile land? However, Roty's Semeuse does have the cap, so he may have wanted to combine the two. Current French circulation coins (see my previous post) do differentiate between Marianne and the Semeuse ... Christian
As georgiansilver amlready stated, 'la semeuse' (I'll stand with the French name to avoid more errors ) is looked at as another form of Marianne by many officials. On this site: http://timbreposte.free.fr/mag-timbre/la-semeuse/la-semeuse.html , the following is stated: La Semeuse est une figure féminine coiffée d'un bonnet phrygien. C'est donc aussi une Marianne présentée de plein pied alors qu'on la limite habituellement à un buste. La Marianne est un symbole fort de la France, elle figure dans toutes les mairies. Le bonnet phrygien évoque la révolution française et l'idée de liberté. La Semeuse is a female figure, capped with a Phrygian cap. That's why she is also regarded as a "Marianne" pictured in full length, where Marianne's picture is normally limited to a bust. La Marianne is a very important symbol of France, you can find her bust in every official building. The Phrygian cap is a symbol of the French Revolution and also of Liberty.
I also finally have my Krause catalogs at hand, so I can provide the following information: coin 1: German States - Prussia 2 mark; weight 11.111 g.; 0.900 silver; mintage for 1904A( A= Berlin)= 9,981,000; catalog value: fine:7.50, very fine:15.50 $ coin 2: German States - Hamburg 2 mark; weight 11.111 g.; 0.900 silver; mintage for 1898J (J=Hamburg) = 118,000 ; catalog value: fine:25, very fine:60, extremely fine:160$ coin 3: German Empire 1 mark; weight 2.777 g.; 0.900 silver; mintage for 1907A = 14,168,000; catalog value: fine:0.50, very fine:1$ coin 4: Russian Empire 50 kopeks; weight 9.998 g.; 0.900 silver; mintage for 1899 = 10,000,000; catalog value: fine:5, very fine:10 $ coin 5: Austria 6 kreutzer; weight 3.29 g.; 0.438 silver; mintage for 1795B = 36,127,000; catalog value: fine:5, very fine:10 $ coin 6: France 1 franc ; weight 5 g.; 0.835 silver; mintage for 1898 = 15,000,000; catalog value: fine:1.50, very fine:2.50, extremely fine: 5$ coin 7: Colombia 20 centavos; weight 5 g.; 0.900 silver; mintage 1938 = 1,410,000; catalog value: fine:1.75, very fine: 5 $ coin 8: Essequibo & Demerary 1/2 stiver; copper; mintage = 215,000; catalog value: fine : 5$
Thanks for these. Coin number two seems to be nice. As I can see, very few were minted as well and my one also has beautiful toning. What would you guys grade it? Let me know, thanks!
