Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 12/1/2009

Question
Hello Sir,  My husband and I clean out estates in the USA, and throughout our work we have come across some interesting coins.  We have two "1935 Sun Yat-sen $1 dollar silver coins"  I think from the research I have done.  And two "Chinese Kwang-Tung Silver Dollars". Would you please let me know it you have any information about these coins and possibly what they are worth?  Thanks so much for your time. Much appreciated.
Sincerely, Eve

Answer
Hi Heather,
First of all, you may want to weight the coins on a digital scale to make sure they are right around 26.5 to 27.0 grams each, since counterfeits are quite common.
The Sun Yat Sen dollars were made from 1932 to 1934. The 1932 is a rare date, and is distinguishable by three geese flying over the "Junk boat" on the reverse. The 1933 and 1934 coins do not have these geese. The normal varieties range from $15 to $50 depending on condition. The rare variety ranges from $150 to about $800 in the same condition range.
There are a couple of websites that refer to this type as being from 1932 to 1935, however, this is incorrect. If you do a search in any kind of auction records, such as eBay, there will never be any 1935 dated coin like this.
The Kwang-tung dollars also have two types, but these are much closer in value to one another. Condition is extremely important for these older coins. A well worn example starts at $25 or less, while a mint condition coin sells for as high as $1,000.
If you would like to post a follow up question with a clear picture of the two coins, I can give you more specific information on the value.
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Thanks for the question! =)