Sterling Silver Coin?

Question

I'm looking for any help with a coin my mother-in-law found in a 1940s player piano. It says sterling silver on the coin. It has a pigs head on one side and a pigs butt on the other. No date. A coin dealer offered her fifty for the coin but didn't know what it was. So I think he had never seen something like it and thought it could be worth alot more. She is not looking to sell it, just wants more info.
Any web sites would be greatly apreaciated. Thanks

Answer 1

First off, it is not a coin. It is a token or medal. It sounds like an item used for flipping. As to why it is .925 silver (sterling ) is beyond me. You would think there would be more on it than a head and tail. Most silver items like that, have a company name or engraver of the die. It maybe abbreviated and very small and could be on the outside rim. There are lots of this type item around and as far as I know, no book has been put out on them. You could try the token and medal society. I think you can get their address from a Google or Yahoo search. It seems, over the years going to flea markets, I may have seen what you have or some thing like it, but the value was far from $50.00. With no price guide to use, it is who wants it and what they will pay. I doubt you will ever get much info on it, for it is considered a maverick token. That is, a token with no name on it, or city, or who made it. They are almost impossible to track down. I spent months tracking down an education medal from 1893 and it had all kinds of info on it. The problem was it was from 1893. Good luck on your search, try all the token web sites you can get to.

Answer 2

I've never heard of a coin like this and I do know my collecting. No nation I've ever known by reading or from appraisers has ever told me about pigs being placed on coins, especially with the front on one side and the rear on the other. It seems to sound as if you may have found a carnival coin. The dealer who offered your mother fifty dollars for it may have simply thought since it was unusual, why not offer something what he thought would appear to be a lot of money.

You can always check with coin books. Many libraries and bookstores offer these types of publications. You can check it that way or you can even take it to a museum and have it looked over. Other possibilties would be to locate an appraisal agency here in the US and send it out or take a few shots of it and email the company so that their experts can look at it and see what they think. One of the last options is, call or write the U.S. Mint and ask them about it. (Make certain you have the makeup of the coin, like you stated, it being Sterling Silver, the year it was minted and put into circulation if any). Without those two basic things, the Mint might not be able to assist you. If it's not some novelty coin and it turns out to be from another country, then it will have greatly fooled me. Because there's no country that I know of that would etch their coins in such a manner. Usually, even foreign nations etch their coins with a notable or political figure, then some other accent having to deal with the nation, like a national hero, etc.

Best of luck in your search.

Answer 3

the first component you should think about is the position to procure them and how a lot you paid for them, that would want to furnish you with the first clue understanding even if it really is silver or perhaps if it really is silver plated. Now, to locate what silver "grade" is, you should attempt it for the content cloth of silver in them .999 high quality silver (ninety 9.9% silver content cloth), .925 sterling silver (ninety 2.5% silver and 7.5% copper), .900 coin silver (ninety% silver and 10% copper) and that i have considered some circumstances the position earrings is marked .950 (95% silver and 5% copper). the most difficulty-loose approach is the acid attempt, which is composed in rubbing quite of the metallic in a attempt stone or with a attempt needle and use little acid answer on the rubbed metallic. searching on the colour the answer turns it substances you with the content cloth of silver. the most puzzling is the silver plated gadgets because you should attempt it (scrape it) interior an same position more effective than once to confirm if there is yet another metallic in the back of the silver plate. yet as I suggested, in case you comprehend the fee paid for the article you receives a clue about it. yet differently to charm to close is to charm to close the various makes use of for the various kinds of silver. high quality silver is maximum usually used for making collectible money, bars and some business makes use of, sterling silver is the favourite contained in the jewellery market alongside with the silver plated and also you'll locate coin silver contained in the money issued by technique of the authorities. Sterling silver is likewise the proffered for table and silverware. if you're this kind of do it your self human being you'll locate some acid attempt kits on eBay or you are able to take it on your close by earrings save in which the most in all chance will carry out the acid attempt, yet you receives the outcomes from a specialist. i'm hoping this helps. Antonio

Answer 4

It is a token not a coin. Obviously with a heads and tails side. There are reference books for known tokens but I don't know exactly where to find them. I have seen them referred to in news articles on tokens but since I don't collect tokens I did not pay much attention to titles and such.

Your local library might have a reference or you could try eBay to see if there are similar items on it or maybe even find a reference book on tokens.

Answer 5

I have this coin! Did you ever sell it? Just wondering the value. Thanks