Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 6/17/2010

Question
Dmitry,
I've recently inherited a number of older coins, all pierced and placed on a bracelet. Most of them I've been able to track down as to a general range of value, but there is one which as of yet I can't even find evidence as to whether or not it existed. It is a papal coin, dated 1842 and marked with the R for, I assume, the mint in Rome. However, it is a 10 Baiocchi coin. I've found information on the 1, 5, 20 and 1/2... but no site as of yet that speaks of the papal Baiocchi has mentioned a 10. Any help?

Answer
Hi Christopher,
The 10 baiocchi is certainly one of the harder denominations to find, along with the 5 baiocchi.
The 1/2, 1 and 2 coins were made of copper and later bronze, the 5 coins were made of silver and then later bronze, the 10 and 20 coins were all made of silver.
Your coin is indeed from the Rome mint (some coins will have a B for Bologna). This is also one of three varieties for this year and happens to be the key one.
The grading on these is pretty liberal. In fact the catalogs only list them up to VF (Very Fine), which is a mediocre grade for most types of coins. They were weakly struck and what looks like wear may not be any wear at all. A typical date in good shape has an auction value of $40 to $60. Your coin, if it's in good shape, would be $75 to $125 depending on if it was a US or international auction.
Of course, the actual condition of your coin may correspond to a lower or higher value range. Without seeing a clear picture of the coin I cannot really give an accurate grade or value for it. Feel free to post a follow-up question with a picture and I will definitely give you the exact info.
Thanks for the question! =)