Expert: Brad Swain - 6/6/2010

Question
I recently inherited a bunch of coins, including a 1956 coin from Venezuela. It has an image of Bolivar one one side w/ his name and the word Libertador; on the reverse on the bottom it says Gram.25, 1956 and LEI900. It looks to be in good condition, unaltered and quite shiny, although it does show some wear. Does it have any value??? Many thanks in advnace for your help.

Answer
Hi Nancy, the 25 gram coins are 5 Bolivares coins. The date should be 1936, not 1956, and there were 2 million minted in Philadelphia. This coin should contain .7234 of an ounce of silver. Collector value may be worth about $12.50 with heavy wear to around $15 with moderate wear to maybe $17.50 with light wear. Cleaning coins that leaves them shiny or scratched, even if only by looking with a magnifying glass, will reduce a coin's value by at least half.
You might try Ebay.com for similar pieces for comparison.
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