Expert: Brad Swain - 2/28/2010

Question
Hi,  I have some german commemorative coins from my grandmother.  Was curious about their value.  One is a 1986 5 mark piece commemorating the 200th anniv of Frederick the Great's death.  (One side says Friedrich Der Grosse 1712-1786 with his bust.  The other has Deutsche Bundesrepublik Deutschland 5 Mark 1986 and the Eagle.)  The other coin is a thick heavy silver commemorative coin with "Weinachten 1982 and an angel and Mary on one side and what looks like Mary, Jesus and the wise men on the other.  It's in a little box and has a certificate of authenticity saying it's pure silver from "Munzen-und Medaillenkunst GmbH in Ettenheim."  I'd forgotten all about them and came across them the other day.  Thank you for your input.  Lisa

Answer
Hi Lisa, There were 8 million of the regular uncirculated finish versions of these copper-nickel clad nickel West German 5 Mark coins minted in Stuttgart (F) that one year. Collector value may be worth about $1 with heavy wear to around $2 with moderate wear to maybe $3 with light wear to perhaps $4 if uncirculated. Proof coins have mirror fields that allows reflecting newsprint to be read at least 6 inches away. If you have a Proof version let me know and I'll add more info.
The second is a 1982 German medal. Many times with medals, due to lack of documentation, no further info is able to be found. You may find similar pieces on Ebay.com or elsewhere on the Internet for comparison.
Brad