Expert: Brad Swain - 3/1/2010

Question
My mother has a 1904 Edward VII Straits Settlements one dollar coin, which appears to be gold.  The only reference I have found has been for silver dollar coins.  Were any gold coins issued?
Many thanks.

Answer
Hi Martyn, There were 20.4 million of the 1904 Dollar silver coins minted that year in Bombay (B) featuring British King Edward VII (1901-10). This coin should weigh 26.95 grams and would contain .7798 of an ounce of silver. The Straits Settlements never issued any gold coins so this one must have been gold plated by someone after it left the mint. Collector value of a normal silver colored one may be worth about $10 with heavy wear to around $40 with moderate wear to maybe $110 with light wear.
You might try Ebay.com for similar pieces for comparison. A plated coin may be considered damaged by most collectors and may not fetch as much.
You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
Brad