Hello again Numismatic sleuths : ) For those who have not been following along at home I've come into the possession of my late father's loosely named 'coin collection'. I've been working away furiously on cataloguing them so I can know what's there before I sell them. So far I've catalogued 236 coins from 35 countries and dating from 1894 to 1972. Now I am left with a hand full of coins that some of you might be able to identify quite easily and save me hours of Googling in completely unknown languages. I really would be extremely grateful if you would take the time to browse the pictures of them to give me some direction to follow. I've photographed the fronts and the backs in the same position. If you'd like a closer look at any in particular I'd be happy to photograph them on their own. Thank you for all the amazing help I've had so far. debs : )
Row 1 1 Austria 2 Japan 3 Taiwan 5 Austria Row 2 2 Bulgaria 4 China Empire 5 Austria Row 3 2 Yugoslavia 3 Ethiopia 4 Japan 5 Japan On your images, to make it easier for the identifier, put 3 coins across and 4 rows down, then start a new image. Also, your image is too dark. More tomorrow if there's any left unidentified. Make a new image for the leftovers.
Row 4 #1 Colombia - 1 Centavo (edited for previous typo) #2 United Arab Republic - 2 1/2 Piastres #5 Algeria - 1 Centime
Some more details on the Japanese coins: Japan 5 sen (with bird): aluminum, Showa year 17 or 1942 Japan 100 Yen: includes some silver, Showa year 34 or 1959 Japan 1 Yen: aluminum, Showa year 40 or 1965 Japan 1 sen with Mount Fuji: aluminum, Showa year 18 or 1943 Japan 10 sen with Sakura and chrysanthemum flowers: aluminum, Showa year 18 or 1943 All of these are fairly common coins with very high mintages. The 100 Yen does contain some silver, but not an enormous amount (about 0.0926 ASW or 4.8g with a purity of .600).
Thank you everyone. I know most of these have little if any value but I felt it important to know what he had so I didn't give away the 'holy grail' of coins. I also didn't want to continue to hoard them for the same reasons. There are some I'd like to keep just because they were his but I'm not a collector of things! So thank you again for being so incredibly helpful over my trifling coin problem! debs : )
You are doing exactly the right thing. There is nothing at all trifling about your questions. I should add that, for me, monetary value is the least important factor in this hobby. One can't put a price on sentimental or historical value and every piece, no matter what the price books say, holds enormous amounts of both for someone living or no longer living. Coins provide a direct connection with history and even the so-called "valueless" ones speak to us eloquently of events now in past tense. I added the monetary notes to my post above because I sensed that's what you were looking for - you wanted to make sure none of these coins had exceptional value. That makes perfect sense, because one never knows. By the way, I actually own examples of all of the Japanese pieces you posted, so I don't consider them valueless at all. I also enjoy helping people identify unknown coins when I can, so thank you for posting the pictures and if you want to post your entire list I'm sure that no one would object. I can probably only really help out with Japanese coins, though. Luckily, many other people here know a lot more than I do.
To "echo" ewomack, watch for a small round (perhaps antique) table with a glass top. Make sure the top's removable. Select at least two dozen of your coins, put them under the glass, and you will have a conversation piece that will last forever; you'll be glad you did. Elevate the glass slightly with a spacer so the glass doesn't rest directly on the coins, leave 1mm clearance.
Thank you everyone for your help and advice. I have attached the list for you to have a look through if you'd like. It's a .txt file. If you stretch it wide enough everything comes up on the right line. Or, you could copy and paste it into your own spreadsheet. Thanks again : )
