Expert: Brad Swain - 1/15/2010

Question
I have a 1951 five mark coin I picked up while stationed there in the 1970's, kept it cause of the eagle on the back side. Was wondering if it was worth anything.
Also a 50 cent piece from Australia, 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee coin
I've picked up numerous coins & paper money from places I've been to all over the world.

Answer
Hi Chris, The German 1951 5 Mark contains .2250 of an ounce of silver. The mintmark letter is below the date. Most of these may be worth about $4 with heavy wear to around $6 with moderate wear to maybe $15 with light wear.
You might try Ebay.com for similar pieces for comparison.
The Aussie 1977 50c may be worth up to about $1-$2 depending on amount of wear and collector demand. There were 25 million minted that year.
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