Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 3/14/2010

Question
hello sir,

First I would like to thank you for volunteering your time to answer this query,all to often people don't help others anymore...Anyway

I was wondering where i could online the asw and purity of the silver for this coin?I am starting a silver collection for my new-born and I've done pretty well but any coin before 1900 is not in the book i own(and at 55 bucks a pop i cant afford another book )

Thank you again

FF Blair MacDowell

Answer
Hi Blair,
It's really great that you are passing the hobby down a generation. Coin hobbyists like myself are often concerned that we are a waning breed.
Unfortunately there is no free on-line resource that would give you all the info that you get from the book. The Krause-Mishler people who publish the various volumes of the Standard Catalog of World coins are very protective of their research.
For the 1873 drachma it's made of .835 purity silver.
They are fairly easy to find in worn condition, but nice examples are hard to come by and very valuable.
I would be curious to know the condition of this one. It can mean the difference between a $10 and a $1,500 coin.
Thanks for the question! =)