Expert: Brad Swain - 10/30/2009

Question
Dear Sir,
I have been scratching my head the last couple of weeks trying to get information regarding 2 coins i have,i was wandering if you could possibly help me?
The first coin is; chocolate brown,the date is 1783,and shows wording that says Washington and independence on it with a figure of somebody,and the other side says United States.Any idea?

The second coin looks like it may be gold underneath the dirt and on one side it has what appears to be hebrew writing or some language with a date 1286,on the other side it has a star of st david.I would be absolutely delighted if you would help me on these.
Kind Regards
David

Answer
Hi David, the first is probably a tarnished copper or brass token, not a coin. If it has no denomination on it then it is a token or medal and not a coin. Many times, due to lack of documentation, no further info is able to be found. You may find similar pieces on Ebay.com or elsewhere on the Internet for comparison. Value depends on amount of wear and collector demand.
The second is a cast bronze falus denomination from Morocco. It features the 'seal of Soloman'. The 1286 Muslim date is equal to 1869AD. The size determines if it is a 1 (17-18 millimeters), 2 (22-23 mm) or 4 (27-29 mm) falus coin. Depending on amount of wear it may be worth $2 up to $10+.
You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
Brad