I'm putting a Christmas gift together for my nephew. It's mostly Mercury dimes, other US coins, and the Red Book. I want to give him a few foreign coins too. I have some, but don't know anything about them. What is this one? Looks like 1832, maybe? It's about 26mm in diameter and looks like copper. Norm
Well Norm, the word "Roi", which is about all I can read on the obverse, is French for "King", and there does appear to be a period after "cent" on the reverse, so it seems to be a 5 centime of a French speaking country. The effigy does not match any I can find in Krause for 19th Century France, nor does the reverse match any French 5 centime - 1832 or otherwise. 16 other countries, several of them French speaking, used the "centime" denomination during the 19th Century, so perhaps someone more familiar with European coinage of that era will be able to ID it.
Thanks. From what I can see, the obverse looks like... LOUIS PHILIPPE I ROI DES FRANCAIS. and the reverse is... COLONIES FRANCAISES I'm not sure it's 1830's or 1870's.
It's a French Colonies coin. Sorry, I havent been able to figure out which French colony it came from.
I just want to make sure it's only worth a couple dollars or less. He's eleven and I don't want him having anything more valuable than me!
I wouldn't worry about that - give the boy the coin The coin is what it says it is French Colonies. They were not struck for use in any particular colony - but rather struck for general use in any colony - among them Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Dominique.
