Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 3/15/2010

Question
Hello i have recently been given a coin that is relitivly large in size, maybe half dollar, from Hawaii. The date is 1883 and it is reflected on the king of Hawaii. Now i have been doing research on this coin and i have had many different answers to its actual originality, or its value, if any. Now i was wondering how i can tell if it is worth anything by looking at it. It is golden, honey toned with a bearded man on the front, and on the back looks like a sheild of honorablilaty i suppose, not sure how to describe it exactly. Every site i have been on shows the exact coin that i hold but i am still uncertain. Can you help me figure it out, before i take it to an appraiser or dealer

Answer
Hi Brittany,
This is one of those instances where pictures of the coin would really help. If you can e-mail them to me at BetweenEarthnSky@yahoo.com I can give you much better information on the coin you have.
I am quite familiar with the 1883 Hawaii coins, and actually own a complete set of them. There is a half dollar coin, which would have a "1/2" on the coin below the shield.
There are also various novelty replicas that are medallions and would not have the legal tender "1/2" denomination. The novelty pieces are only worth a couple dollars, but a genuine coin starts at around $50 for a decent example and goes up to $200-$250 for one with minor signs of wear. Really nice mint condition coins do crazy amounts at auction, as high as 20 grand because they are so rare. It is very hard to find one that had never been used and the vast majority that look brand new are modern replicas.
Thanks for the question! =)