Expert: Joe Hylas - 2/13/2004

Question
My father went fishing and managed to hook a crown royal bag with his pole. Inside were many different coins and several different bills. How they ended up in the river I'll never know but he was curios about their value. I thought I'd start here before driving all over town to this person and that.

What is your opinion of the following few?

Indian Head pennies: 1881-1907.
Lincoln pennies: 1910-1971.
A penny with both sides the same (no head) no date.
Der Nederlanden coins 1956 and 1958 face on one side, lion or animal on back with crown.
1923 silver 20 croszy piece.
5 cent silver coin, Indian head/buffalo too old, no apparent date.
1885, 89 and 1921 one dollar coins.
1955 L.50 silver Italiana repvbblica.
1952 silver coin, face on one side and the marks 1 with a tree or some sort of leaf and crown and Fr on other --Belogie.
1922 one dollar bills/eagles on back.
Possibly 1911 one cent--very strange coin.
1945 five cent with crowns on one side and something strange on other, Crown is marked Femore/med folketfor? ?sterlandet.

These are just to name a few. I would look them up on the web, but I don't even know what some of these pieces even are so I don't know where to start. I also have some strange bills as well.
1953 Two dollar bill.
Several 1967 bills from Mexico with strange kings and queens and oceans on them. You should see how old they look! They're printed in red ink. Blow on them and they'll disappear.

Sorry to put so much stuff. But after I got started, I really got curious. Thanks for anything you can tell me.

Answer
Hi,
For all of the US coins, look them up in the Guidebook to US Coins.  The dollar coins are worth a minimum of $6 each, the indian cents are anywhere from 25 cents each and up.  Thepenny with 2 of the same sides is a magician's coin (You always win the flip).  As for the foreign coins, unless they are silver they really have no value.  If the paper money was wet, from the river, it's probably in poor shape and not very collectable.
That bag will provide a better story than a 30 lb. salmon!

Have fun

Joe Hylas