Coin and Paper Money Collecting/coin details/value

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Expert: - 3/17/2010


Question
Hi i have a large silver coin on one side has a large oriental looking bust of a man in uniform with 4 stars on a shoulder badge and there is also 7 chineese characters writen above his head. on reverse side has 2 large chineese characters down the centre and 2 large tree branches either side of them. hopefully you can help.Regards Paul

Answer

Hi Paul,
This is a silver dollar (yuan) from the Republic of China. This type was made for several years in the 1920's. If you post a follow-up question with a picture I can decipher the exact year, but the value will be roughly the same regardless.
There are plenty of fakes out there as well; a genuine coin should be 26.4 grams, though one that is worn can be up to 1 gram less.
These start at around $15 in well used condition and go well over $100 for a mint condition example. Again, a picture would really help me help you more accurately.
Thanks for the question! =)

Dmitry Livshits

Expertise

My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.

Experience

Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.

Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).

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