Expert: Brad Swain - 12/10/2009

Question
Hello,  I  also found some old coins when  was sorting out my aunts old house about 10 years ago, they have been in my cellar for about 12 years  and resurfaced today,  I have an assortment of uk coins, pennies, threepences, sixpences, shillings,  half crowns, farthings and fractional farthings, also a couple of  1871 Spanish 5 pesetas  and other bits and pieces.  I would like some advice on  how to value them, I live in Spain so a trip to the  UK  for advice  is more difficult.   Any advice would be appreciated  Thanks Tanya  

Answer
Hi Tanya, Collector value of a coin depends on denomination (face value), date, mint mark (if any), number minted and condition of a coin, including amount of wear, any dents, scratches or cleaning as well as collector demand for it.
The actual date on the Spanish 5 Pesetas featuring King Amadeo I (1871-73) is inside the small star by the 1871 date. This coin should weigh 25.0 grams and would contain .7234 of an ounce of silver.
Current gold and silver values: http://www.kitco.com/market/ .
A public access British coin guide (2004 prices) can be seen here in PDF format:
http://www.rotographic.com/britishcoins2005public.pdf .
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