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- For What It's
Worth
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- Gary Miller,
a veteran second-generation coin dealer, joins the Wayback Times
for a Q&A for readers.
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- Do you have
questions about coins and related collectibles? Send Gary an
e-mail and he will advise you on the background of your items
and their value.
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- Gary Miller's For What It's Worth
Q&A
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- Dear Mr. Miller,
I have had this coin
for some time and it has always been a favourite of mine, but
I know very little of its value. I know it is a coin of Elizabeth
the First and it is large and silver. I would like it if you
could tell me more about it and what it would be worth.
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- Sincerely,
- David Shuttleworth.
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- Dear David,
Thank you for your letter
and the excellent photos. You are correct, it is a coin of Elizabeth
I of England and it is a silver crown. Elizabeth reigned over
England from 1558 until her death in 1603. She had the longest
reign of any British monarch and was instrumental in cementing
England as a world power.
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- The coin you have is a nice
example of a fairly rare issue. It features a great half-length
bust of the Queen with the arms of England on the reverse. The
British mint produced these “Crowns” or 5 shilling
pieces only in 1601 and 1602.
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- Your coin bears the mintmark
“1” for 1601 and although it is more common than the
1602, it is a very desirable coin sought after by collectors
of both English coins and European Crowns. It would be considered
to be in Very Fine (VF) condition and would have a value of about
4,000 pounds or about $6,000 Canadian.
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Gary Miller:
 I
have had many letters and emails regarding World War I medals
over the years that have been responded to individually. I thought
it might be time to provide a little general information for
those who may be interested.
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- When WWI broke out in August
of 1914 with Britain’s declaration of war against Germany,
Canada was automatically involved.
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- At the time, we had a small
standing army and a much larger militia. Canada eventually sent
more that 600,000 men and women to war including soldiers, nurses
and chaplains.
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- Within two months of the beginning
of the war, a Canadian contingent was on its way to Europe. Most
of the contingent was made up of volunteers as conscription did
not begin until 1917 and, by that time, Canada had distinguished
itself as among the most effective and respected forces on the
western front.
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- The British government issued
medals to the Commonwealth and British troops for their participation.
These medals, unlike WW2 medals, were inscribed on the edge with
the serial number, rank (highest recorded), name and unit of
the recipient.
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- This is what makes these medals
so collectible; while all WWI pairs and trios look the same,
the value can range from $50 for a British pair to $100 for a
common Canadian pair, to many thousands for rare Canadian medals.
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- The silver British War medal
was given to approximately 6.5 million in total while only about
428,000 of those were issued to Canadians.
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- There was also a gold-coloured
Victory medal with the BWM and some Canadians also received the
1914 (200) or the 1914-15 (71,150) Stars for being in the theatre
of war before the end of 1915. The stars, as part of a trio are
scarce to very rare to Canadian recipients.
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- Medals named to officers have
their rank and name but no unit and are obviously more scarce
than those to other ranks. The pair pictured are named as follows;
3034667 PTE. F. CROSER 3-CAN.INF (3rd C.E.F. Toronto).
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- Some of the most common medals
were issued to the CASC (Canadian Army Service Corps), while
the most rare are named to 2-STA.HOSP.C.A.M.C. (2nd Stationary
Hospital Canadian Army Medical Corps). These were mostly issued
to nursing sisters and medical staff, 160 of whom received the
1914 Star along with the WWI pair.
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- Some of the other named units
include 260 numbered infantry battalions, the C.A. (Artillery),
CMR. (Mounted Rifles), RCN and RCNVR. (Navy and reserve), C.E.
(Engineers), CSEF (Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force) and
many, many more.
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- I am always happy to answer
emails to give you an idea of the value of CEF (Canadian Expeditionary
Force) medals. There is a lot of good information online at archives.ca about the Canadians
who served so bravely in World War One.
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- Lest we forget!
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Dear Gary,
- I picked up a foreign coin in
an auction lot of mostly Canadian coins and banknotes that I
would like to know something about. It is silver, I believe,
and large like a silver dollar, weighs about 25 grams and is
dated 1923. It says Danzig, which I have heard of, but I have
no books on world coins. Can you tell me about it and what it
is worth?
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- Kurt Spacek,
Mississauga, On
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- Kurt,
Thanks for the email. You have a 5 Gulden from the Free State
of Danzig minted in 1923. Danzig or Gdansk is an important seaport
located on the northern coast of Poland. It has at different
times through history belonged to Prussia, Russia. Pomerania
and the Teutonic Knights. From 1587 until 1772, it was part of
Poland.
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- There is a strong connection
between Polish collectors and Danzig. It was a free city from
1919 to 1939 during which time most of its coins were made.
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- Your coin is the first 5 Gulden
produced and it features the Marienkirche or marine church on
the obverse, while the reverse shows the shielded arms of Danzig
supported by two lions.
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- It is a scarce and desirable
coin and one in the condition yours is in, would sell for about
$700 to $1,000. Depending on what was in your Canadian auction
lot, this may be one of the more valuable.
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Dear Mr. Miller,
I hope you can help us
with an item that my father bought many years ago. We have the
description as it was written on the original ticket and we would
like to know if (a) is it real in your opinion, and (b) what
might it be worth today?
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- The tag reads as follows. “ANNA
1R 1737 Ttb 120Fr”. I know he must have purchased it in
the ‘50s or early ‘60s.
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- Mike Irvine,
- Windsor ON
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- Dear Mike,
Thank you for your inquiry.
I receive many emails about all kinds of coins and I try to pick
the most interesting ones to feature in For What It's Worth.
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- Your father bought, many years
ago, a lovely Russian Silver Rouble for the reign of Anna Ivanova
(1730-1740). She was the daughter of Ivan V and niece of Peter
the Great.
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- The tag describes the coin,
in French, as Tres tres beau. This is a French grade that would
equate to Extremely Fine (EF) in our grading system and I would
be inclined to agree. It also says that he paid (or, at least,
it was marked at) 120 French Francs, in today’s money that
would be about $25.
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- The coin features the fantastic
heraldic double-headed eagle with the shield of St. George on
its breast with the date and the denomination in Cyrillic. On
the obverse is a right facing portrait of Anna with her titles.
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- It has nice old toning which
is very desirable with collectors (don't ever clean it) and is
well struck. The Russian market has been remarkably strong these
last few years and I would price this coin, if it were mine,
for about $1,000.
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- Not a bad return on your father’s
investment.
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Dear Gary,
- I've seen your column in the
Wayback Times and I always enjoy reading it. I wonder if you
could help with a coin I have. I know where it is from, India,
but I would like to know the value of this coin as well as a
little information on why it is in the name of the “East
India Company”. It is a One Rupee coin dated 1840.
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- Thank you, in advance, for your
time.
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- Michael Moroz,
Waterloo, ON
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- Michael,
- Thanks for your inquiry and
it is an excellent question. The coin is, as you stated a silver
One Rupee from India and is in better than average condition.
The Indian coin market has been heating up for the last few years
and these coins are now starting to bring fair prices.
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- For the longest time I had always
believed that Indian coins, while very beautiful and similar
to the Canadian series, were well under-priced. In recent times,
as India’s economy has started to expand, there has been
more interest in collecting their coins and banknotes.
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- Your coin is in excellent condition
with nice toning (as silver oxidizes it will get darker in colour,
which is desired by collectors and is the reason we always say
never clean coins), in today’s market I would price this
coin at about $75.
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- The East India Company has its
roots in England and originated under Queen Elizabeth I in 1600.
It was formed as a trading company operating mainly in India
and China and successfully exploited the riches of India for
over 250 years. They traded in cotton, silk, spices, tea, gemstones
and even opium. Their monopoly lasted until 1858 when the British
crown took over administration of India until their independence
in 1947. The East India Company’s rights in India included
the striking of coins in the name of the British monarchy.
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Dear Gary,
We have this old Confederate
bill and have never had it checked out by an expert. We would
like to know a little more about it, like is it real? What is
it worth? What can you tell us?
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- Jonathan Cutler,
- Toronto
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- Thank you for your email,
You have a 50-dollar bill issued by the Confederate States of
America in Richmond, Virginia, on February 17, 1864. It has the
portrait of Jefferson Davis, the president, in the center. The
Confederate States and the individual southern states printed
promissory notes, beginning in 1861, to help finance the war
effort and they were traded back and forth as currency. By the
time the war ended in favour of the Union army in 1865, all the
existing currency suddenly had no value. In general, the earlier
notes are a little more valuable as many 1864 notes became surplus
very quickly. Your note is in quite good shape and is genuine.
This note would sell for about $100, whereas a United States
$50 would bring thousands.
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Dear Gary,
- I've had this old 50 dollar
bill since I was a little girl. It was even misplaced for many
years, but here it is again. Can you tell us something about
it? It is still legal tender? Does it have any collector value?
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- Mrs. A. Monoghan
- Oshawa, ON
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- Hello Mrs. Monoghan,
- Thank you for your email. You
have a Bank of Canada 50 dollar bill from the 1937 series, which,
in its day, would have been a lot of money. It is in fairly decent
condition for its age and I would consider it to be in Very Fine
(VF) by current grading standards. J.E. Coyne and G.F. Towers,
who signed notes for the Bank of Canada from the late 40s until
a few years in to the reign of Queen Elizabeth, signed it as
deputy governor and governor. The note depicts King George the
Sixth and is written in both French and English text. It is a
vibrant orange colour and has a minimum of wear and would sell
for about $120, or perhaps a little more. Keep it flat, in a
protective plastic sleeve, and enjoy it.
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- Gary
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Dear Gary,
- The group of medals and badges
we are sending photos of belonged to my uncle who was a “Green
Beret” with the U.S. army during the Vietnam war. We have
had them for over 20 years and would like to know a little about
what their value might be. Can you help us?
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- Ken Ferguson
- Toronto
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- Hi Ken,
- Thank you for your email and
photos. Your uncle, Frank R. Yoder, served with the U.S. Special
Forces (Green Berets) during the early years of the Vietnam War,
from about 1962-66. He was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star,
Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Medal as well as three medals issued
by the government of South Vietnam.
Also included are his marksmanship badge, his dog tags, some
of his patches and a Zippo lighter from a Special Forces base.
It is nice to see such a complete Vietnam service group to a
Green Beret and especially nice that the two stars and the Purple
Heart are all engraved with his name and serial number. Groups
such as these are in high demand these days and I expect that
this group, in a well publicized auction, would fetch around
$1,000 or a little more. Thank you for sending this to me, it
is very exciting to see.
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- Gary
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Hello Gary,
- We have in our possession a
large silver coin dated 1747. We have no idea how we came to
own it, or where it is from. It is about the size of a silver
dollar and just as heavy, with a portrait of a woman. The writing
on the coin is likely not English. What can you tell us about
this, where is it from and what might it be worth.
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- Chris Ridderbusch
- Cambridge, ON
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- Hi Chris,
- What you have is a lovely silver
Rouble from Imperial Russia minted during the reign of the Czarina
Elizabeth Petrovna. She was the daughter of Peter the Great and
she literally took over the throne from her cousin Anne in 1741.
She reigned effectively until her death in January 1762 at the
age of 53. It has the portrait of Elizabeth surrounded by Cyrillic
lettering and the reverse shows the Imperial Russian eagle. It
is, as you said, dated 1747 and struck at the St. Petersburg
mint. While it is not particularly rare, it is a nice example,
and the Russian market is still very strong, I would expect that
this coin would sell for $400 to $500. Thanks for your inquiry
and I hope this helps.
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- Gary
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Dear Gary,
- We have a gold coin dated 1776
with a portrait of George III on one side and a shield on the
other. It is about the size of a quarter. We would like to know
more about it as far as what it is and what its value might be.
We have attached photos of both sides for you.
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- Elizabeth Rogers,
- Milton, Ontario
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- Elizabeth, thank you for
your query.
- The coin you have is a very
nice example of an English Guinea of George the third (1760-1820).
A Guinea had a value of 21 shillings, or one pound and one shilling.
The denomination was introduced by Charles II (1660-1685) and
was initially valued at 20 shillings, or one pound, and later
were revalued at 21 shillings.
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- The name of the coin relates
to gold used for some of the issue was imported from Guinea by
the Africa Company. The Guinea was replaced by the Sovereign
in 1817.
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- Your coin is of some interest
because the condition is better than average and the date is
quite significant. All coins dated 1776 sell for a good premium
because of the demand generated in the United States because
it coincides with their Declaration of Independence. Because
your coin has this date and a portrait of King George, it makes
it a highly sought-after coin south of the border.
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- Based on the condition - quite
good (Extremely Fine or EF in numismatic grading terms) and the
important date - I would expect this coin to sell for about $800
and perhaps more if offered in a major US auction.
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- Gary
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
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- Dear Gary,
- I have in my possession a one
dollar bill from Newfoundland. It is blue in colour, dated 1920
and has a picture of King George, I believe, on it. What can
you tell me about its value and history? It is in poor condition,
but fully legible.
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- Clive Osbourne
- Kingston, ON
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Clive,
Thank you for your e-mail. The note in question is a Government
of Newfoundland $1 Treasury note of 1920.
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- Newfoundland, at the time, was
not part of Canada and this bill and a $2 bill were issued July
2, 1920, to deal with a shortage of coin and currency at the
time. When it was issued, silver was very high on the world markets
and many of Newfoundland's silver coin was leaving the country.
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- The note features the "Admiral"
portrait of George the 5th on the left and a Caribou on the right.
About 400,000 notes were issued and many had been removed from
circulation by 1939.
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- Of the $1.2 million worth of
notes printed in both the $1 and $2 denominations, only about
10% still survive today.
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- Although your note is not in
the best condition, it is a whole note without any tears, holes
or writing on it and would grade as VG (Very Good). If I owned
this note, I would ask about $300 for it and probably sell it
fairly easily as demand seems to outweigh supply for these notes.
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- Gary
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- Do you have a question for
Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com
or call 416-953-2465
Dear Gary,
We have had this US 20
dollar bill in the family for as long as I can remember and I
wanted to get your opinion on its value. It is larger than normal
bills and says “In Gold Coin” on it. Does this mean
it is worth a twenty dollar gold coin? What can you tell me about
it?
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- Dale Marshall
- Scarborough, ON
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- Dale, thank you for your
e-mail.
- You have a United States 20
dollar Gold Certificate dated 1922. The US issued Gold Certificates
from 1865 until 1928 and with their orange coloured backs they
are a popular reminder that there was a time when US paper currency
was indeed “as good as gold.” This is no longer the
case.
Gold Certificates were made in denominations from $10 to $10,000.
While many of the larger denominations were used only between
banks, the $10 to $100 notes were circulated among the general
public and this one could have been redeemed for 20 dollars in
gold coin upon demand.
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- This is a nice example of a
popular and highly sought after issue. It has good colour and
appears to be in Very Fine (VF) condition and would sell for
about $350 - $400.
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