Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 11/14/2009

Question
Dear Dmitry,

I recently came into the possession of 6 old European coins.  4 I believe are German/Prussian coins, and the other two are in the currency "Corona," which I am not familiar with.

Two of the Prussian coins are 20 mark coins: one from 1902, the other from 1909.  They both have the bust and name of King Wilhelm II.

The other two Prussian coins that I have are 10 mark coins: one from 1875, and the other from 1904.  The 1875 coin has the name and bust of King Wilhelm, and the 1904 coin has the face of Wilhelm II.

All four of these coins, while not being mint, are in very good shape with very little wear on them.

The last two coins I have are a little harder to make out, because they are in what could either be Latin or Greek perhaps.  But the Currency is Corona, and they are each worth 10.  One is from 1905 and the other from 1908 with the same face on the front.  These are thinner coins than the German ones, so while not being in as good of condition, relatively speaking, they are still in good shape.


Would you be able to tell me approximately these coins are each worth?  I have been searching the internet for clues, and this website seemed to be the best source for a possible.  I really appreciate your help and look forward to hearing back from you.

Answer
Hi Alex,
I'll be glad to assist you with these coins.
They are actually not 24 kt gold, but just under 22kt.
For the Prussian coins condition is very important, since they were circulated as normal currency.
The condition you describe sounds like EF (extremely fine). as such the 1875 10 mark would be about twice the bullion value, or $200 to $250. This coin should weigh just under 4 grams of .900 gold, with .115 ounces of pure silver weight. Worth noting, there is an A, B or C mint mark below the bust. The B mark is worth slightly more.
The same is true for the 1904 10 mark, except there is only the A mint mark for this date.
The 20 mark coins should be just under 8 grams of .900 gold and contain .23 ounces of pure gold each. The 1902-A and 1909-A are worth about 40% above bullion in the condition you describe, or $300 to $350. The 1909 date also has a J mint mark that is worth 30% to 50% more than the A mint mark, depending on the grade.
The 10 corona coins are from Austria and were not circulated as much as the Prussian coins. As a result, they are readily available in mint condition and circulated examples are only worth bullion value. If they were in teh same condition as the Prussian coins, they would be 10%-15% above bullion. They are also .900 gold, should weigh just under 3.4 grams each and contain .098 ounces of pure gold.
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Thanks for the question! =)