Expert: Brad Swain - 1/18/2010

Question
Hi Brad,
My wife is from the Philippines. Recently she returned from a trip in the southern Philippines with 4 coins. I will describe them and provide photos of them also if needed by you.
1. silver coin front side depicts man's head with fig leaf in it, wording around circumference "DEI GRATIA 1806 CAROLUS IIII" back side depicts coat of arms with a king/queen crown at top, words around circumference "HISPAN ET IND REX ME 8R (unknown letter) P"
2. silver coin front side depicts man's/boy's head, wording around circumference "ALFONSO XIII P.L.G.D.D.REY C. De ESPANA 1897" back side depicts coat of arms with a knig/queen crown at top, words around circumference "ISLAS FILIPINAS UN PESO"
3. silver coin front side depicts symbol similar to U.S. Navy, wording around circumference "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1944" back side depicts woman holding object in right hand similar to a hammer wording around circumference : FIFTY CENTAVOS FILIPINAS"
4. gold/bronze colored coin front side depicts man's head wording around circumference " R IMP HU BO REG M THERESIA D G" back side depicts coat of arms wording around circumference "BURG CO TYR 1780 X ARCHID AVST DUX" At some point in time, a small eyelet was attached to the back side of the coin to accomodate it being worn on a necklace.

Interested in any info. you can provide about the coins and there relative collector value if possible.  Thank you in advance for your time.

Answer
Hi Keith, Counterfeits and fantasy pieces mass produced in East Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe abound of Chinese and U.S. coins, and many other countries'.
Fakes: http://reviews.ebay.com/Fake-8-4-and-2-Reales-coins-from-ASIA-BEWARE_W0QQugidZ10...
Chinese counterfeit factory: http://coins.about.com/od/worldcoins/ig/Chinese-Counterfeiting-Ring/Chinese-Fake... .
That said, here is some info on the genuine versions of the coins you have:
1. It appears to be a silver dollar sized Spanish-Peruvian 8 Reales. That design features King Charles IV (1788-1808). The J and P are the Lima mint's assayers' initials. The Lima mintmark is a monogram of LIMAE. It should weigh 27.0674 grams and would contain .7797 of an ounce of silver. Collector value depends on date, number minted and condition of a coin, including amount of wear, any dents, scratches or cleaning. There were 4.2 million minted that year. This one may be worth about $25 with heavy wear to maybe $75 with moderate wear to possibly $100 with light wear.
2. Philippines 1 Peso 1897 Spanish King Alfonso XIII (1886-1931). There were 6 million minted that year. This coin should weigh 25.0 grams and would contain .7234 of an ounce of silver. Collector value may be worth about $15 with heavy wear to around $40 with moderate wear to maybe $65 with light wear.
3. U.S. Philippines (1898-1946) 50c 1944S, 19.2 million minted in San Francisco (S), 10.0 grams, .2411 of an ounce of silver. Collector value may be worth about $4.50 with wear to maybe $6 with no wear (uncirculated).
4. gold/bronze colored coin front side depicts man's head wording around circumference " R IMP HU BO REG M THERESIA D G" back side depicts coat of arms wording around circumference "BURG CO TYR 1780 X ARCHID AVST DUX" At some point in time, a small eyelet was attached to the back side of the coin to accomodate it being worn on a necklace: this one is probably just a copy made for jewelry.
It's what is known as a Maria Theresia Thaler. They were originally struck by Austria and portray the empress who reigned 1740-80. The coin was used as an unofficial trade dollar in Africa and the Near East and nearly a billion were restruck with the same date by many world mints well into the later 20th century.
The original is a silver dollar sized Maria Theresia thaler, which in the 19th century was quite simply the thaler of the Levant, vied especially with the Spanish peso as a coin of trade and was in widespread use throughout south-eastern Europe, present-day Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula and large parts of Africa. In Greece, for example, it was taken out of circulation only in 1882.
Instrumental in the spread of the Maria Theresia thaler was the coffee trade. In Ethiopia it was in circulation by the end of the 18th century and was the official currency from the beginning of the 19th century to 1936, when the country was occupied by Italy. The Maria Theresia thaler continued to be struck even later, for example, in Rome, London (until 1961) and even in Bombay. Today the Vienna mint continues to produce small amounts of the coin.
It should weigh 28.0668 grams and would contain .7517 of an ounce of silver and may be worth a little bit above that if uncirculated depending on collector demand.
Check here for differences in originals and restrikes: http://www.jdsworld.net/article/m_theresa_thalers.html
Current gold and silver values: http://www.kitco.com/market/ .
You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, pricing and more info on all these.
Brad