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Name:        Kelly
Email Address:   Kellymh.wa@netzero.net
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Question:        I am unable to find information on my penny/dime.  It is the same size, weight and edge as a dime but has the imprint of a penny. Year-1992.

I believe this to be a genuine Mint error. This is a finished dime that accidentally got into a hopper with cent blanks.  The dime was struck with Lincoln cent dies, almost obliterating the dime's design. You can see some of the dime under the cent. Note the reeding on the edge. Reeding is impressed by the collar that holds the coin when it is struck. Dimes have a reeded edge, cents have a plain edge. This type of error is valuable and should be stored in a Mylar flip and not handled. Do not clean the coin or wipe it, that will reduce its value. Estimate (this is a guess): $500+.

I also have a $20 bill that is from 1934 and is from the Kansas City reserve and looks almost new.  The corners are all flat, and the color is sharp.  Thank you.

1996 series $100 notes are printed three times, the back, the front and then the serial numbers. The Treasury seal is no longer part of the third printing as in previous series. It is now printed with the face printing.  There is a premium of about 10% for Overprints shifted to the left of the note.  Major shifts where the Universal Treasury seal is BELOW the "100" at right are worth far more.

For your 1934 note, see the "What's it worth?" feature on CoinSite for approximate prices of post 1928 series U.S. currency.

Probably not George Washington but possibly King George III of England. There are English minted tokens with portraits of Washington wearing a laureate, a symbol of royalty, but either they are really George III, in such as the Georgius Triumpho Token of 1783, a token that was intended to commemorate the ending of the Revolutionary War. There are some other English pieces that clearly show Washington in Military garb wearing a laureate but these are certainly the exception. Note that all Washington tokens have legends.

Simon Duvivier was commissioned at the Paris Mint by the Continental Congress to produce a series of medals to commemorate American Independence.  The piece featuring George Washington is known as the "Washington Before Boston" medal.  This is the classic portrait of Washington that is most familiar to Americans (there is no laureate).  These popular medals were restruck by the Paris Mint from 1798 - 1974. The era of manufacture can be identified by the Paris Mint Director or Chief Engraver privy mark on the edge of the medal. I do not know if Duvivier was ever commissioned to do a portrait of George III.  If he was it was, probably not for an official medal (there are no George III official medals that match your image).  Could this be a funeral medal?  Possibly one of our readers can help.

Probably a 5th issue, silver sixpence of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603). The obverse shows the bust Queen Elizabeth I facing left, the Latin legend, ELIZAB.D:G.ANG.FR.ET.HIB. REGI. (Elizabeth by the Grace of G-d, Queen of England France and Ireland), around.  The reverse shows the shield of England under a cross, the date is above. The legend around is PSVI:DEUM:ADITVTOREM:MEUM (I have made G-d my Helper).  This biblical phrase comes from Psalm 54.4 and is often seen on Irish and English coins from the time of Edward III (1327-1377) to 1603 (the last year of Elizabeth's reign).

Value depends on grade and whether the coin has been clipped (coins of this era were minted by hand and hammered.  There was no retaining collar so the coins had irregular shaped edges.  It was a common practice to clip off a bit of silver and pass the coin off as whole.  Clipping was punishable by torture and death which were common practices of the authorities. A quarter century later nice round coins were being produced by the newly invented milled coin press and everyone breathed a little easier when they spent their cash). Value range:  $25 -  $150.

I also have a "squished" Lincoln penney (can barely make out 1928) with the imprint "Belgian Village Chicago Worlds Fair 1933" I enjoy owning them but always wonder if there's someone they are worth more to? Any ideas?

You have a 1892 United States commemorative half dollar.  This coin was struck for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The coin were minted with the dates 1892 and 1893.  This was the first in series of commemorative half dollars.  Commemorative programs still exist today. Relatively few Columbian half dollars were sold at the Exposition (not many people wanted to purchase a half dollar for $1) and even fewer were kept in the original condition. 

Sometime around 1910, the remaining supply of these coins were released by the Treasury to banks where they were used as regular half dollars.  Average Circulated pieces bring about $5 - $8. Gem uncirculated examples will bring $600+.

You other coin is a "elongated cent".  The cent is shaped in a special machine and then stamped with a message or symbol.  These were popular at the various national pavilions of 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair. Elongated cents are commonly seen a major coin shows where they are created to commemorate the show.  Collectors of "exonumia" enjoy these. They bring from $1 - $25 depending on the type and the historical background.

This was a obviously a privately issued medal, possibly given to favored customers to commemorate their anniversary.  You might want to research what type of business Marc Eidlitz and Son were in.  There are collectors of medals that track specific kinds of commerce related medals such as "store cards", advertising tokens, "good-fors" and encased cents.

You have a "Condor" token, call so for the man who cataloged these emergency money tokens at the end of the 18th century. These tokens, usually took the place of pennies and half-pennies during the extreme coin shortage in England from about 1788 to about 1811.  The coins were privately made at foundries and at first were essentially "good-fors" for use at company stores but soon had widespread use as a medium for small change.

Your piece comes from Rochdale (not Rothdale) in Lancashire and is described as "Arms and Crest and Man in Loom" and comes with various edge designs.  Value depends on grade (condition) and rarity. Approximate range for this particular token: US $2 - $15.

The standard composition for half-dollars from 1965 -1970 was clad silver. They weigh 11.5 grams and have a outer layer of .800 silver and .200 copper bonded to an inner core of .209 silver, and .791 copper.  Total silver content is .1479 troy oz of silver (40% silver content).  Copper-Nickel clad Kennedy half dollars weren't minted until 1971.

There is an extremely rare 1965 Kennedy half minted on a 1964 .900 blank. You can identify the two simply by weighing the coins on a gram scale. 1964 Kennedy half dollars weigh 12.5 grams, silver clad Kennedy Half dollars weigh 11.5 grams.

You have a 1958 Canada, British Columbia commemorative dollar.  It commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Caribou Gold Rush and BC's entry as Crown Colony in 1858.  The obverse shows Queen Elizabeth II, the reverse shows a totem pole with mountains in the background.  The top of the totem pole shows a raven, an Indian symbol for "death".  The symbolism was probably unintentional by the designer but the coin was known for a long time as the "death dollar".

Value depends on grade (condition). Approximate value Range: US $4 - $100.

Since 1998, all Canada 1 oz silver Maple Leaf issues have privy marks.  The value of these bullion related coins vary with the price of silver and collector demand vs. the number of pieces available:  The Royal Canadian Mint reports the following. All have an official face value of C$5.

Baroness Burdett-Coutts revived the idea of awarding a decoration to those who performed distinguished service in the cause of animal welfare.  The Baroness approached Queen Victoria who readily approved.  In the drawing submitted to her Majesty, it was suggested that as the cat was the most neglected of animals, the design should include this animal. A further Royal directive was that the first medal to be struck was to be presented to John Colam, the Society's Secretary (RSPCA), of whom it was said, more than any other man, had laboured to build the organisation into what it had become.  The meritorious medal was to be known as the "Victoria Medal".

Do you have any idea what the medal looked like or whether there is a copy in existence ? Best Wishes, John Colam.

Baroness ANGELA-GEORGINA, BARONESS BURDETT-COUTTS was the grand-daughter of Thomas Coutts a well known Scottish banker.  She spent most of her adult life in charitable pursuits including involvement in women's issues and rights.  She may have been one the supporters of The Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA), the first humane society in Canada. It was founded in Montreal in 1869 by a group of prominent citizens. The society still exists today.

John Colam, Secretary of the RSPCA in 1884, helped to form the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children whose treatment in this era was worse than the animals that the RSPCA was formed to protect. This event may be his main claim to fame.

There may have been a medal awarded to Mr. Colam during this period but it wasn't the "Victoria Cross", a military award similar to the United States' Medal of Honor.  He might have received "The Royal Victorian Order or Medal" but the order wasn't established until 1896, and medals were awarded only on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and were based on some personal service to the Queen. The order medals do not feature a cat as  a design element.

Medal giving was rampant in Britain during the 19th century and there are medals for every conceivable occurrence but these would not necessarily be awarded by Queen Victoria. Your medal featuring a cat might be a private issue or may just be a family legend.

An Addendum to my previous note:

Further research beyond the reign of Queen Victoria uncovered a medal to which you might be referring.  In 1909, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals instituted a medal for "acts of gallantry in saving the lives of animals". The medal shows a seated female figure surrounded by a cow, sheep, cat, dog, goat and horse. R.S.P.C.A. is in exergue (below the dividing border of the design).  The reverse is plain, and an inscription would go there.  The name of the recipient usually appears on the rim. The medal is 36 mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver.  A blue ribbon and hanger is above with three white stripes in the center (silver). The bronze issue also includes red stripes.  For reference, this piece is known as the "RSPCA LIVE-SAVING MEDAL.

You have a 1944 Great Britain 2 Shillings (.500 silver), also known as a "Florin". (20 shillings= £1( pound)). The obverse shows the head of King George facing left, GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX (George VI, by the Grace of G-d, King of all the Britains). The reverse shows a crowned rose, a thistle and shamrock on either side representing Scotland and Ireland.  The legend around is FID:DEF:IND:IMP:1944 TWO SHILLINGS (Defender of The Faith, Emperor of India).  Approximate value in VF US $2. (silver content= .18 troy ounce)

I have never found any mention of it anywhere also on the coin's rim or side it is completely smooth no ridges. It also seems to have some weight to it...Coin Doctor can you help me I'm going crazy trying to find it even mentioned anywhere.

You have one of the "orphaned" Bicentennial Mint Medals.  These are hardly ever mentioned in coin publications and seemed to have been ignored by medal collectors.  There are two, both in gold (I think .900 fine), one larger than a five dollar gold coin (about a third of a troy ounce) and one larger than a $10 gold coin (about two thirds of a troy ounce).  They were issued in a blue box from the Philadelphia Mint.

I haven't seen one of these in a while but I remember that no one wanted to pay more than gold value for them. Many were melted in the "gold rush days" of the 1980's.  Someday they will be "discovered" and the few remaining pieces will become valuable.  In the meantime, see the CoinSite Metals Page for current gold prices.

You have a 1679 Great Britain farthing (4 farthings= 1 penny). The obverse shows a bust King Charles II facing left, the legend around, CAROLVS.A CAROLO.  The reverse shows "Britannia" seated on a rock, dressed in a gown, the shield of Great Britain at her left,  she is holding a spear in her left hand and an olive branch in her right,  BRITANNIA is around and the date is below. 

This is a scarce issue and was the last farthing issued under Charles II. There were no halfpennies or pennies struck in this year.  Value depends on grade (condition).  Approximate range: US $10 - $500+

Click here for information about "Britannia" and click here for information about the "British Monetary System" prior to 1971.

You might have a 1990 cent struck on a copper-nickel dime planchet (there haven't been silver dimes since 1964) . Some characteristics of such an error are: -Part of the outer design of the Lincoln cent will be missing because the dime is smaller in diameter than a cent. -The coin will weigh 2.27 grams.  This is actually heavier than a 1990 zinc cent which weighs 2.5 grams

You might also have a silver plated cent.  These are fairly common and are the result of advertising promotions or high school electrolysis experiments.  Again weighing the coin is diagnostic, a plated cent would still weigh 2.5 grams.

You might also simply have a cent missing the copper plating, in which case the cent would have a "silver-gray" surface.

Only the mint struck error described at top has value, about $250 for a cent on dime blank.

You have a c.1976-1988 Greece 20 Drachmes.  The obverse shows a the front of an ancient Greek structure with 4 columns.  The legends around is in Greek and reads transliterated with Latin Characters as, "Ellenike Demokratid" or Democratic Greece.  The reverse shows a helmeted head of Pericles facing left.

If you find the Greek alphabet interesting you might want to try the following link. It will show the Greek letters, their sounds and their equivilency to the Latin/English alphabet. http://www.mathacademy.com/platonic_realms/encyclop/articles/greek.html

You have a 1819 Great Britain silver Crown (4 crowns = £1 (pound) ).  The coin has a total weight of 28.2759 grams or .925 silver (sterling) and contains .8409 troy ounce of pure silver. 

The coin shows a laureate head of King George III facing right, the date, 1819, is below.  The legend around is GEORGIUS III D: G: BRITANNIARUM REX  F: D: (George III, by the Grace of G-d, king of Britain, Defender of the Faith).  The reverse shows Benedetto Pistrucci's design of St. George Slaying The Dragon.  The legend around, HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (Evil to him who evil thinks), is the Motto of the "Order of the Garter" and first appeared on the half crowns of Charles I (1625-49).

The edge is lettered and shows the legends ANNO REGNI LIX and DECUS ET TUTAMEN ("59th year of his reign" and  "An ornament and a safeguard" - (referring to the lettered edge)).

Value range for these impressive coins depends on grade: US $ 20 - $500+

The German economy was in a state of collapse by 1923 due to several factors, including exhaustion by the First World War and by the cost of reparations demanded by the allies after Germany surrendered.  By 1923 inflation was rampant.  Most coinage was hoarded because its intrinsic value exceeded its face value and most money was high denomination, paper notes.  Coin shortages were common and municipalities took up the slack by issuing emergency coins called "Notgeld".  Notgeld was issued by municipalities as well as by transportation and utility companies.  These coins were often struck in base metals and they are known in zinc, iron, steel and aluminum.

Collectors enjoy arranging these coins by city or province.  The most popular are the issues of Westphalia which includes a rather large piece with the denomination of 50 million marks.

Depending on the city or province and the condition of the coin most Notgeld range from a few cents to $100+.