Coin and Paper Money Collecting/token coin

Advertisement

Expert: - 1/1/2011


Question
First let me wish you and yours and Happy and prosperous New Year.Now for my question. I have what looks like some type of toy coin or token,German, I think. It has 1 Mark in the horizontal plain plus the words spiel.munze or spiel.marke, so rusty I'm not sure around the top. On the bottom it has Lauer where the date should be.The other side has an eagle with what looks like a coat of arms. It's about 14mm in diameter.Can you identify and give a value? Thanks.

Answer
Hi Leonard,
It is indeed a toy coin, one of many types made by the L. Christ. Lauer company of Nurenberg. Some of these were made in sets, and can have significant value for a complete set. Others were made as single pieces and are usually worth just a dollar or so in used condition. Nice examples with original gilding intact bring anywhere from $5 to $25, depending on which one you have.
Thanks for the question! =)

Coin and Paper Money Collecting

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

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).

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.