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Name:        Jim O'Donnell
Email Address:   codonn4040@aol.com
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Doc:
While metal detecting an old farm near my house, I found what I believe is a centennial "card" from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Although I have found some information on this Exhibition and the "cards" associated with it, I cannot seem to find this particular "card" in any of these reference materials.  The "card" is round, about 26 mm in diameter and made of copper or brass.  It has a bust of George Washington on the front and an engraving of the Exhibition's Memorial Hall, along with the words "EXHIBITION", "PHILADELPHIA" and "CENTENNIAL" and the date 1876, on the back.

Any idea where I can find information about this particular "card" and what it may be worth?

You have a Washington medal from the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876.  It was originally conceived as an American Fair to celebrate the centennial but expanded into a World's Fair with exhibitions of arts, agriculture and manufacturing.  Every country with diplomatic relations with the United States was represented.

The fair was held in Philadelphia from May 10 to November 10, 1876.  There were five buildings built in Fairmount Park: a Main Exhibition building, Memorial Hall (an art gallery), Horticultural Hall, Agricultural Hall and Machinery Hall.  The fairground covered about seventy-five acres.  The Main Exhibition Building covered 21 acres.  Around 10 million visitors attended. There are enough different Washington medals from this fair to start a challenging collection. The Centennial Memorial Building medal was struck in gilt, copper and white metal.  Value range in average circulated condition US$35-$60.

You have a 1780 Thaler (pronounced like "dollar" with a "T") from The German State, Saxony.  The obverse features the bust of King Fridreich August III, the abbreviated Latin legend, FRID AUGUST:D:G:DUX SAX:ELECTOR  (Fridreich August by the Grace of G-d Duke of Saxony Elector), is around.  The reverse shows a crowned shield of arms, X. EINE MARCK F., around. The date 1780 is below in exergue and the initials of the Mintmaster of the Dresden Mint, I.E.C.(Johann Ersnst Croll, 1779-1804) are above.

Value depends on grade (condition).  Approximate value range: $25 - $250+.

This is one of those cases where the item is "in the style of".  This is not a coin, but a decoration, most likely part of some other piece of jewelry. It is "in the style of" a California gold dollar. Beginning around 1852 and continuing to about 1856, privately minted gold coins were minted from local California gold in fractional amounts ($1, 50 cents and 25 cents).  Many of the issuers were jewelers.  After about 1882 the United States government frowned on using these tokens as money as they had long past their use as emergency money and only the government has the authority to mint coins.  Nevertheless, pieces with dates from 1852-1856 and later continued to circulate in the West until as late as 1916.

Some jewelers copied the design for use in jewelry but wary of the disapproval of the government, altered the design so they wouldn't be accused of "making money".  The alterations consisted leaving off the denomination or altering the date to something absurd, like 1807. California gold tokens were also sold at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. These undated pieces do not have the stature of the original California gold. Later, in the 1950's, copies of these tokens in brass featuring bears were created, primarily to defraud collectors not knowledgeable about California gold coins. Note that merchant tokens were used extensively in England from 1790 - 1815 during the coinage shortage there and in the U.S. during the Bank of the United States crises during the Jacksonian era of 1832-44 and then again during the Civil War (1861-65). In almost all cases the need was for small change. Cents and half cents were non existent.  Copper merchant tokens took up the slack (See the CoinSite Search Tool and search for "Condor" or "Hard Times" for more information). I can't tell what metal your piece is made of from your photo, but pieces like this have no numismatic value though if gold, would be probably worth less than US$10.

Early U.S. gold coins (1795-1834) consisted of a composition of .9167 gold and .0833 silver and copper. From 1834-1837 the composition was .8992 gold and .1008 silver and copper. In 1837 gold coin composition was changed to .900 gold and .100 copper.

It is most likely a plated quarter.  These are plated by a private company and used for advertising promotions.  They seem to be all over the country. Plated quarters have no additional value beyond 25 cents.

You can easily determine if you coin is a valuable error simply by weighing the coin.  A clad quarter weighs exactly 5.67 grams.  A quarter struck on a modern dollar blank would weigh exactly 8.1 grams.  If your quarter weighs the same as a dollar coin then you should have it authenticated by the American Numismatic Association, PCGS or NGC.  See their links on the CoinSite Links page for more information about their services.

Note the above error is not probable as the dollar planchet would be too large to fit into a machine set up for striking quarters.  A similar error called a mule was created by using a setup for a dollar and inserting a quarter die for the obverse, creating a coin with the obverse of a quarter and the reverse of a dollar struck on a dollar planchet.

The only Jamaican coin that comes close to your description is the Jamaica penny. This coin features the head of Queen Victoria of England facing left, VICTORIA QUEEN 1870, around.  The reverse shows the shield of Jamaica surrounded by  a beaded border, the legend, JAMAICA   ONE PENNY is around. The coin is copper-nickel. Value range, depending on grade (condition): US 50 cents to $35.

The Design featuring a standing Knight that is holding a sword and bundle of arrows usually appears on the gold ducats and double ducats of Holland (Netherlands). That is also indicated by the abbreviated Latin legend you reported:   MO: ORD PROVIN FOEDER BELG AD LEG. IMP (Money of the Provinces of the Belgian Federation according to the law of the Empire.  (Other coins featuring this legend insert the abbreviated word "ARG" or silver to specify silver money.) Depending on grade (condition), denomination these coins would bring from $50 - $1,500 each.

You have a 1914 Norway 2 Kroner (100 Ore= 1 Krone).  This is a one year issue commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Norwegian constitution. Only 226,000 pieces were struck.  Value depends on grade (condition). Approximate range: $5 -$60.

There are no official coins dated 1792 with a portrait of Washington (The mint didn't open until 1793 and the first half dollar wasn't struck until 1794).  The first instance of a official coin with the portrait of George Washington was the quarter dated 1932.

However, there are many Washington pieces, thousands of them, struck over the years as commemoratives or patterns for purposed coinage.  Pieces, later called "Washington Half Dollars", are dated 1792 and are essentially private presidential commemoratives. There are least a dozen Washington pieces that are called by this name.

The general design of these pieces feature the bust of Washington, facing left, surrounded by the legend "(G.) Washington President".  The date, 1792 is below. The reverse features an Eagle with open wings, a shield at center and 13 stars above the eagle's head. These were struck in silver, 31.5 mm (about 5 known), gold (unique), and copper (31 mm) (several varieties) only a few know with some varieties being unique.

Another piece, minted essentially as a test of the Mint's first coinage press, were struck at Harper's coachhouse in Philadelphia on 6th street probably in late September or early October of 1792. This was the same location where the 1,500 or so 1792 half-dismes were purportedly struck from Martha Washington's silverware. The only known specimen of this "Washington Half Dollar" (no stars on reverse) has a pedigree going back to 1831 and has resided in the Lorin G. Parmelee, Garrett and John Hopkins University collections.  It brought $16,500 in the 1981 Garrett sale.  Other varieties exist with values from $3,000 - $40,000.

Struck copies of "Washington Half Dollars" in silver and brass were made by the coin dealer, William Idler, beginning in about 1858.  Most have the word "COPY' at left of the eagle's tail (values from about $50 -$400). Some pieces have had the word tooled off the coin for nefarious purposes.  Muled dies of the Idler copies are also found as "store cards", that is, tokens used as emergency money during the coin shortage caused by the Civil War (1861-65).

Electrotypes, and die struck counterfeits of these pieces are common. Pieces in a similar style were privately minted for the centennial celebrations in 1876 as souvenirs. Others are worthless fakes. If you believe you have an example of the original 1792 Washington "half dollar", you will need to have the piece authenticated.  You can contact the American Numismatic Association, NGC or PCGS.  See their links on the CoinSite Links Page.

This is one of the five official coins minted by the Kingdom of Hawaii. Hawaii became a United States territory in 1900.  The Hawaii coinage was no longer legal tender after 1900.

The 1883 Hawaii Quarter dollar features the head of King Kalakaua I, 1883 below.  The legend, KALAKAUA I KING OF HAWAII, around.   The reverse shows the denomination. About 500,000 1883 Hawaii quarter dollars were minted. Value depends on grade (condition).  Range: $25 - $300+.  Proofs also exist: Range $5,000 - $8,000+

You have a 1895 Switzerland 10 Rappen (100 Rappen=1 Franc).  The coin was struck on copper-nickel planchets.  The letter "B" represents that the coin was struck at the Bern Mint.  Approximately 2 million pieces were struck dated 1895.  You can often find this coin in average circulated condition in coin dealer bargain boxes for US 10 cents.  Uncirculated (no wear, full original mint luster) pieces are scarce and bring $35 -$50.