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From: Garcia ag@aha.ru
Subject: "VRÖNI" ("VROENI") GOLD 1O & 2O SWISS FRANCS
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Please any one who can tell me the value of a new 10 and of  20 Swiss
francs coin called "vröni" (or "vroeni")? Where can I find a picture of it on the internet (web site?) with technical data (diameter, gold color, height)? Thanks for any help

Vrenely was the designer of the Swiss 10 and 20 Franc gold coins which were trade units at one time and now are essentially bullion items. (There are some early dates that are rare coins).  They don't mint these anymore (last minting was in 1947 as a restrike of the 1935L date) but they are still available from any bullion dealer at a small premium over their gold content.

The 20 Franc shows an allegorical female head in braids facing left, mountains in the background and HELVETIA above. The reverse shows a shield with a cross in the center surrounded by a wreath with 20 FR on either side; the date is below.

The 10 Franc shows a similar obverse to the coin above.  The reverse shows a cross over rays at top, the denomination 10 FR and the date surrounded by a wreath in a semi-circle.

20 franc - .1867 troy ounce pure 10 franc - .0933 troy ounce pure. Multiply the above decimals against the world gold price to find their approximate current value.

Current Swiss gold coins are non-circulating commemoratives and are struck in 100 Franken (Francs) denominations or higher.

The Bahamas $2 coin was a non-circulating coin sold at a premium to collectors as part of sets.  They were minted from 1966 - 1973 in .925 silver and in both copper nickel and silver from 1974-1980. The design that you have shows two flamingos, a sunset with rays between them and wreath in a semi-circle around.  The reverse shows a bust of Queen Elizabeth II.

Value depends on condition: from bullion value (.8863 oz silver) to about 20% over bullion value for an uncirculated piece.

This medal took advantage of the extreme popularity of Washington medals during the first months of the Civil War. This medal and another, with a special reverse with only a plain wreath enclosing an open space, were sold to the public until 1865. The latter were used as marksmanship prizes by the Philadelphia Rifle Club.

The medal is 31mm in diameter and they were struck in gold, silver, copper and aluminum.  Anthony C. Paquet was the designer.

In 1861 only one gold example were made, 51 silver and 250 copper. An aluminum piece (alumininum was considered a precious metal in this era) may be unique. Only the copper pieces are generally available in the market and exist in much larger numbers than indicated by the initial minting. Approximate Value Range: $50 - $75+.

Note that the approximate mintage for EACH state quarter approaches half a billion pieces.  The government does not release the entire mintage of any coin in one year but stores them for future use. For some issues it may take several years for the most of the coins to be released. Also, almost the entire quarter supply will be mostly State quarters in a few years. Investing in State quarters at high premiums may be risky.

You can buy bags of state quarters from the mint as they are issued for a nominal fee or get rolls from your local bank at face value. See the Mint's web site on the CoinSite links page.

You have a 1896 Germany 5 pfennig (100 pfennig=1 Mark). The coin was struck at 6 different mints and are represented by a single letter on the coin, A (Berlin), D (Munich), E (Dresden), F (Stuttgart), G (Karlsruhe) or J (Hamburg).  Only the "G" mint is scarce. Average circulated pieces bring about US 10 cents.  The "G" mint from $5-$20.

You'll have to be more specific.  The coin was struck in various metals including pewter, brass and silver and there are several die varieties including various spellings of the word "CURRENCY".  Also, the state of preservation (grade) has a large impact on value.

Approximate range, depending on the above information is: $1,000 - $35,000. Note that replicas and counterfeits are plentiful. These have no value.  I suggest having the coin authenticated by the American Numismatic Association.  See their web link on the CoinSite Links Page.

You have a 1964 Sweden 2 Kroner.  The obverse shows the head of King Gustav VI (1950-1973). The legend around is: GUSTAF VI ADOLF SVERIGES KONUNG (Adolph Gustaf VI King of Sweden). The reverse shows a crown over Gustaf's coat of arms.

This issue was struck in .400 fine silver and contains .18 troy ounce of pure silver (about 90 cents at $5/oz silver). It brings a $3 premium over the silver value if the coin is uncirculated.

The initials V.D.B. were the those of the designer of the Lincoln cent, Victor D. Brenner. There was a controversy over whether the initials should be so prominent or even on the coin at all.  The initials were removed the same year creating varieties with an without the letters V.D.B.

The 1909 V.D.B. Philadelphia issue (no mint mark) was heavily hoarded as first year issues often are. There were 27,995,000 struck. Circulated pieces are plentiful and are available for approximately $3.

The rare and expensive issues are the 1909-S, 1,825,000 struck and the 1909-S V.D. B. where only 484,000 were minted. Note that the V.D.B. was restored in 1918 to the base of Lincoln's shoulder where it still remains today.

You have an advertising token, issued by General Motors to promote its Pontiac line of automobiles. ( c. mid 1950's?).  Tokens like this were a way of keeping the advertisers message at hand. They were given out freely and people used them as pocket pieces, holed them for keyrings but never threw them away.

Advertising tokens, medals and other items like this that are not official money go under the heading of "exonumia".  Collectors enjoy these pieces as they often have an interesting story. Approximate value range, depending on condition: $3- $15.

There are 1946 nickels struck in error on obsolete wartime silver blanks. These are quite rare. This error was caused by the same event that caused the 1943 copper cent or the 1944 steel cent  That is, the coin was struck on blanks left over from the previous year.

Only a few pieces (4 +) have been authenticated.  If you believe you have one, see the CoinSite Links page for the American Numismatic Association for information about certification.

Cleaning and polishing coins usually renders them worthless, or at least severely reduces their value.  Rare coins are essentially antiques and as such are prized in being as close to their original condition as possible. If you sanded the finish off a Louis XIV chest of drawers and refinished it with modern varnish you would have something that the uninitiated might think was beautiful but would horrify a collector.

Polishing coins is an effort to "restore" a coin to uncirculated condition. Uncirculated coins have "luster", that is flow lines that are created at the time the coin is struck in the coin press. These radial lines emanate from the center of the coin outward to the rim and reflect the actual flow of metal at the time of striking. As a coin wears, the flow lines, which sit on the very top surface of the coin, are worn away.  By the time a coin as been in circulation long enough to create light wear on the design,  the flow lines are about gone and so is the luster. Polishing a coin to make it "shiny" doesn't restore the flow lines that create the optical effect of light traveling around in a circle known as luster.  It also doesn't restore wear on the high points of the design.

There are situations where coins have been in the ground or the ocean for long periods of time. Restoration of antiquities is a fine art that strives to remove dirt, coral, verdigris and other problems WITHOUT harming the actual surface of the piece.

Generally, coins should be left in their original condition.  Wear is certainly acceptable.  Very rare and valuable coins with environmental problems can be treated by a professional, not to improve the grade, but to prevent further damage. See the American Numismatic Association link on the CoinSite's Links Page for more information on restoration services.

You are probably referring to 3 Marks (Drei mark) of the Weimar Republic. The small (klein) was struck from 1922 - 1923 in Aluminum with a reeded edge and about 27 mm in diameter.  In 1924-1925 the 3 Mark was .500 silver (.2411 ounce pure silver) and about the same diameter as the previous issue.

From 1925 - 1932 a series of commemorative 3 Marks were struck a bit broader (about 30 mm) than the previous issue but at the same silver standard (the gross - the larger).

On the small date, the "7" lines up perfectly with the tops of the other numbers in 1970.  On the large date the top of the "7" is lower than either the "9" or "0".

You have a 1944 Allied Military Currency note of 20 German Marks. This note and other denominations were issued by the Allies at the end of WW II to replace the currency of the Third Reich.  They were issued in 1944 and printed in the United States and Russia.  The 20 Mark is printed in red with a light blue underprinting. The U.S. versions have a secret mark, the letter "F" representing the printer, Forbes. The Russian versions are missing this secret mark.  The "F" is located in the end of the scroll at the bottom right.

There are Four varieties of the 1944 Allied Military 20 Marks. Values depend on grade (condition). Values are in U.S. dollars:

8 digit serial number with a dash and no "F" -50 cents - $10.
8 digit serial number with a dash and an "F" - $20. - $500.
9 digit serial number without an "F". - $1. - $35.
9 digit serial number with an "F" - 50 cents - $25.