Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 2/4/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I'm hoping you may be able to help me. During WWII my father received a coin from a dutch family to repay him for his kindness. It' a 3 guilder dated 1794 in amazing shape, not really worn at all and I can read both sides perfectly. Would you have any info on this coin? How many were made? Possible present day worth?
All I know is that it had stayed within that dutch family since it was minted and they told my father it was rare. I have no idea if that was the truth or not.

Thanks for your time,
William

ANSWER: Hi William,
The coin you describe can be from one of three Dutch provinces.
If you look on the reverse side, with the crowned lion coat-of-arms, to the left and just above the "3" will be written the exact name.
It may be HOLL for Holland, TRAI for Utrecht or WESTF for West Friesland.
The TRAI and WEST coins are a bit more common and range from $20 for a well used coin to well over $250 for one in mint condition. The HOLL coins are more scarce and range from $50 to $500+ in the same conditions.
If you would like to post a follow-up question with a picture of the coin, I can give you more specific information on the condition and value.
Thanks for the question! =)


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Here are the photos. So it's not a rare as I thought it was but I'm still happy to learn something about it. Thanks!!

William

Answer
Hi again William,
This is a very nice example indeed of a Utrecht 3 guilder. I would expect it to sell at auction for around $200. Of course, a retail shop in the Netherlands would charge at least twice that. It's certainly something you may want to keep and pass down. If past trends are any indication, this coin should increase in value faster than having an equal amount of cash in the bank.
Thanks again for the questions! =)