Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 12/24/2009

Question
QUESTION: I found the coin and I was wondering what it is worth. It has definitely been circulated, but there is still a lot of detail on the front and the back. There is also a small "C" or "G" under the face. Thanks!

ANSWER: Hi Brad,
This sounds like a thaler, it should be silver and slightly larger than a US silver half-dollar.
If this is the coin, it is the equivalent of a silver half-dollar and from the German state of Prussia. The 1867 with a C mint mark is a scarce date, with only 179,000 made. A well used example ranges from $30 to $50 and the prices climb quickly for better grades. Mint condition examples top out at $500.
If this had been a Us coin with the same mintage, the price would be many times higher. An unfortunate reality of foreign coins.
Thanks for the question! =)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the response, I just have one more question. I'm not familiar at all with grading coins, so I was wondering if you could give my your best guess on it's grade. I have a picture attached and hopefully that will help out.

Answer
This coin looks to have sharp details, but has been rubbed with a cleaning cloth, which lowers the net grade substantially. If it had not been rubbed it would be easily a $150-$200 coin, but in the present condition it's only worth about a third of that.
You may also want to weight the coin to make sure it weighs right around 18 grams. Modern counterfeits are more common than the real thing, and would weigh 16 grams or less.
Thanks again for the question, please don't forget to rate my answers. =)