Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 9/8/2009

Question
I have a collection of 24 silver coins.  It may be a commemorative collection.  I would like to sell the collection, but have no idea of their worth or what collection they are.

There are 5 different designs total on one side of the 24 coins, with the words;  Republik Osterreich 100 schilling    

Each coin on the flip side is different (here are 5 examples);
1.  1976     XII olympische Winter Spiele, Innsbruck
2.  1975     1825 Johnann Strauss 1899
3.  1979     700 Jahrfeier Des Domes       Zu Wiener Neustadt 1979
4.  1976      Johann Nestroy 1801-1862
5.  1979      200 Jahre InnViertel Bei Osterreich

Does this collection set sound familiar?  What Collection is it?  How much is the collection of coins worth?  Where can I sell it to get a dealer who is righteous?  And will not cheat this Senior citizen who lives quite modestly.   I live in California, USA.

Thank you so very much for your time.
Respectfully,
Ginny

Answer
Hi Ginny,
As you guessed, these are commemorative (but also circulating, at one time) silver coins from Austria. These are not part of a specific set; there were many such commemorative pieces done in different denominations... probably 100 or more types in all.
The 100 schillings are about the largest, close to the size of our silver dollars. As such, they are quite popular with collectors. The book value on these, which is between $9 and $12 for an uncirculated coin, is not accurate.
I regularly sell coins like these in the $15 to $20 range and sometimes even a little higher (on eBay).
As far as local dealers are concerned, it's not the best route to go. Coin dealers in the US typically shy away from foreign coins unless they can get them at a deep discount. In this case an honest dealer would buy these as silver bullion and pay a little below the current market value. That would be approximately $7-$8 based on the current silver trends, since your coins contain about a half ounce of pure silver each.
If you don't have an eBay account, I would suggest looking up the eBay Trading Assistant page, through which you can locate reputable sellers that will sell your coins on a consignment basis.
I occasionally take such consignments under the seller id Pallsoma.
It's also a great opportunity to start your own selling business... it's really easy to start and maintain.
Thanks for the question and best of luck with your collection! =)