For What It's Worth     Gary Miller, a veteran second-generation coin dealer, joins the Wayback Times for a Q&A for readers.   Do you have questions about coins and related collectibles? Send Gary an e-mail and he will advise you on the background of your items and their value.

Gary Miller's For What It's Worth Q&A   Hello Gary, We have in our possession a large silver coin dated 1747. We have no idea how we came to own it, or where it is from. It is about the size of a silver dollar and just as heavy, with a portrait of a woman. The writing on the coin is likely not English. What can you tell us about this, where is it from and what might it be worth.     Chris Ridderbusch Cambridge, ON   Hi Chris, What you have is a lovely silver Rouble from Imperial Russia minted during the reign of the Czarina Elizabeth Petrovna. She was the daughter of Peter the Great and she literally took over the throne from her cousin Anne in 1741. She reigned effectively until her death in January 1762 at the age of 53. It has the portrait of Elizabeth surrounded by Cyrillic lettering and the reverse shows the Imperial Russian eagle. It is, as you said, dated 1747 and struck at the St. Petersburg mint. While it is not particularly rare, it is a nice example, and the Russian market is still very strong, I would expect that this coin would sell for $400 to $500. Thanks for your inquiry and I hope this helps.   Gary   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Dear Gary, We have a gold coin dated 1776 with a portrait of George III on one side and a shield on the other. It is about the size of a quarter. We would like to know more about it as far as what it is and what its value might be. We have attached photos of both sides for you.     Elizabeth Rogers, Milton, Ontario   Elizabeth, thank you for your query. The coin you have is a very nice example of an English Guinea of George the third (1760-1820). A Guinea had a value of 21 shillings, or one pound and one shilling. The denomination was introduced by Charles II (1660-1685) and was initially valued at 20 shillings, or one pound, and later were revalued at 21 shillings.   The name of the coin relates to gold used for some of the issue was imported from Guinea by the Africa Company. The Guinea was replaced by the Sovereign in 1817.   Your coin is of some interest because the condition is better than average and the date is quite significant. All coins dated 1776 sell for a good premium because of the demand generated in the United States because it coincides with their Declaration of Independence. Because your coin has this date and a portrait of King George, it makes it a highly sought-after coin south of the border.   Based on the condition - quite good (Extremely Fine or EF in numismatic grading terms) and the important date - I would expect this coin to sell for about $800 and perhaps more if offered in a major US auction.   Gary   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Dear Gary, I have in my possession a one dollar bill from Newfoundland. It is blue in colour, dated 1920 and has a picture of King George, I believe, on it. What can you tell me about its value and history? It is in poor condition, but fully legible.   Clive Osbourne Kingston, ON   Clive, Thank you for your e-mail. The note in question is a Government of Newfoundland $1 Treasury note of 1920.   Newfoundland, at the time, was not part of Canada and this bill and a $2 bill were issued July 2, 1920, to deal with a shortage of coin and currency at the time. When it was issued, silver was very high on the world markets and many of Newfoundland's silver coin was leaving the country.   The note features the "Admiral" portrait of George the 5th on the left and a Caribou on the right. About 400,000 notes were issued and many had been removed from circulation by 1939.   Of the $1.2 million worth of notes printed in both the $1 and $2 denominations, only about 10% still survive today.   Although your note is not in the best condition, it is a whole note without any tears, holes or writing on it and would grade as VG (Very Good). If I owned this note, I would ask about $300 for it and probably sell it fairly easily as demand seems to outweigh supply for these notes.   Gary   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465 Dear Gary, We have had this US 20 dollar bill in the family for as long as I can remember and I wanted to get your opinion on its value. It is larger than normal bills and says “In Gold Coin” on it. Does this mean it is worth a twenty dollar gold coin? What can you tell me about it?   Dale Marshall Scarborough, ON     Dale, thank you for your e-mail. You have a United States 20 dollar Gold Certificate dated 1922. The US issued Gold Certificates from 1865 until 1928 and with their orange coloured backs they are a popular reminder that there was a time when US paper currency was indeed “as good as gold.” This is no longer the case. Gold Certificates were made in denominations from $10 to $10,000. While many of the larger denominations were used only between banks, the $10 to $100 notes were circulated among the general public and this one could have been redeemed for 20 dollars in gold coin upon demand.   This is a nice example of a popular and highly sought after issue. It has good colour and appears to be in Very Fine (VF) condition and would sell for about $350 - $400. Gary Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Dear Gary, We recently found a few old banknotes from Bermuda in a box of my late mother’s stuff. This one appears to be in the best condition. I know it is dated 1937, but I wanted to know if they would be worth anything to a collector.     Al Harris Oakville, ON   Thank you for your email. You own a very nice George VI 5 Shilling note issued by the Bermuda Government in 1937. It features the young portrait of King George with a view of the Hamilton harbour below. British Commonwealth banknotes are very popular and collectable.   In the field of paper money, condition is everything and the note you sent me scans of is particularly nice. It has good colour and body and appears to be free of any folds, with the exception of a couple of slight corner bends. It would be graded as extremely fine condition and as such would catalog for about $175. If the note were in perfect condition, it could sell for as much as $350. I would be curious to know what other notes you have as the higher denominations, the 5 Shilling being the lowest, are all quite scarce with the 5 pound being in the $500 - $1,500 range. Gary Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Hello Mr. Miller, I hope you can help me identify and appraise this coin. It has been handed down through my family for many generations. It appears to be made of silver and is fairly large and heavy. It has the portrait of a man and woman on one side and the writing says “GVELIEMVS-ETMARIA-DEI-GRATIA-.   The other side has a heraldic shield and a date of 1689 on either side of the crown with MAGBR-FR-ET-HIB-REX-ET-REGINA- around.   I believe it is English, but it has no mark of value and we are not sure if it is a coin or medal and what the value might be.   Tim Gartner, Kingston, ON   Hello Tim. Thanks for your letter. You have a very interesting English coin minted during the reign of William and Mary who reigned jointly from 1688 until Mary’s death due to smallpox in 1694. It is a silver Halfcrown and had a value of two shillings and sixpence at the time.   Mary was the daughter of King James II and niece of King Charles II. She was born in 1662 and was married to William of Orange as part of Charles II’s foreign policy.   James lost control of the English throne in 1688 when the loyalist Tories moved against him due to his many Catholic appointments. He was forced to abdicate in 1688 and later died in exile in France. William continued on as sole monarch after Mary’s death until he died as a result of a serious fall from his horse in 1702. Queen Anne, Mary’s sister, and a protestant, succeeded him to the throne of England.   It is a fabulous example of a desirable coin struck during a fascinating time in English history. In its present condition it would sell for roughly $2,000. Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Dear Mr Miller, We have many coins left by our Grandfather but this one is puzzling to us as we have not been able to find anyone to give us a value. We believe it is from Mexico. It is large like a Silver Dollar and we think it is made of silver. It has discoloured a bit but it appears to be in very good condition. I have been told not to clean it, which we haven't and we would like to know whatever you can tell us about it.   Sandra     Sandra, Thank you for your letter. The coin in question is from Mexico and is an 8 Reales. It is silver and in its day would have had the same value as a silver dollar. The denomination was introduced to the “New World” by the Spaniards and was the basis for the famous “Piece of Eight”. In earlier times in Central and South America the coin was cut into quarters to facilitate small change. These “Quarters” were known as "two bits,” a term we still use today as a slang for a quarter dollar. After its independence from Spain, Mexico continued to produce the 8 Reales until the late 1800s and introduced a Peso coin of the same size. Yours is dated 1859 and was struck at Durango, one of the many branch mints in Mexico. It features the symbol of Mexico, an Eagle standing on a cactus, holding a snake in its beak. The other side shows the cap of Liberty surrounded by rays of light. (Cap and Rays) It is in almost perfect condition and I am glad that you didn't attempt to clean it. In today's market your coin would sell for $125 to $150. Thank you so much and I hope this answers your question.   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465   Daniel Courteney, of Thornhill asks; “We found this large (silver?) coin in my father's estate and we have no idea where it came from or what it is. It is larger than a silver dollar, has Arabic writing and a man wearing a fez. It was wrapped in tissue and seems to be in perfect condition. We would like to know what you could tell us about it.   Thanks for your email. Your father's coin is a 20 Piastre coin from Egypt dated 1937. It was the largest silver coin of Egypt at the time and it shows a portrait of King Farouk. It has the dates written in Arabic as 1937 and 1356 (Arabic date). It does appear to be in perfect condition and would likely sell for about $100.   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Olivia Hudson, of Victoria, B.C. writes; "We have inherited this coin from a dear friend and wanted to know something about it. I believe it is gold as it is quite heavy for its size. It does not have the name of any country but has Queen Victoria on one side and a coat of arms on the other which would make think it was English. Can you help?"     Yes, Olivia, you are correct. You have an English “Shield type” gold Sovereign from Great Britain struck in 1869 under Queen Victoria. It features the young portrait of the Queen with a shield containing the arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. It is a very popular coin among collectors and one like yours would sell for about $400.   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Dear Gary, I found this old dollar bill in a book that belonged to my grandmother. It is from the Dominion of Canada and is dated 1st of June 1878. On the back it reads “Payable at Toronto”. It appears to be in quite good condition without any holes but it does have a few small splits in the paper where it was folded. Who is the person on this bill and what would it be worth?   Ronald Eaton, Etobicoke, ON Ronald, This is indeed a genuine one dollar bill from the issue of 1878. On the face of the note is a portrait of the Countess of Dufferin, wife of the then Governor General of Canada. In 1878 they made one and two dollar bills and they were payable in one of four cities, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and St. John. The Toronto and Montreal are the most common. The condition of the note, even with the paper splits, would grade about Fine. In this grade its catalogue value would be about $600. If it were a Halifax or St. John note it would bring about $4,000. They are very collectible and sought after. Be sure to always keep banknotes flat and handle them very gently. This is quite a find! Thanks for your question.   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465   Hi Gary, I normally don't like to bother people but I'm at a loss to identify a badge I have. I bought about 40 Canadian military cap badges in a box at an estate auction. All have been identified as being WWI and WW2 era. The only one I can't identify is one made of brass approximately 1 9/16" ( 39 mm) in height by 1 1/4" (33 mm) in width. The crown on the top is a queen’s crown (Elizabethan or Victorian ?) over 4th CA. I'm hoping it's Canadian and stands for something like 4th Canadian Artillery. I have had it to several collectors who can't identify it (but made cash offers). On the obverse it appears like it has had one form of attachment replaced by a pin. There does not appear to be any manufacturer’s marks. Any help you could offer would be most appreciated.   Ken Watson, Lindsay, ON   Ken, You have a little treasure there. This is a cap badge of the 4th Battery, Prince Edward Island Garrison Artillery. It is Victorian but I could not give you a date other than to say it is likely before 1880. It is a rare badge and I could find no auction records of one selling in the last 15 years. It was a very small garrison and would not have issued many badges. I believe that an original badge in decent condition would sell for $250-300. Yours has had its lugs replaced by a pin, but it is still quite valuable and genuinely rare.   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Henry Grimes of Nelson, B.C., writes: "We have had this coin in the family for several generations and we would like to know a little about it. I believe it to be French and I'm pretty sure it is silver. It is a large coin, a little bigger than a U.S. silver dollar. What can you tell me about its history and current value?”     Well, Henry, you are correct. The coin is French and it is silver. It is a French "Ecu" of King Louis XIV, who reigned from 1643 until 1715. This one is dated 1651 and the "A" below the shield tells us it was struck at the Paris mint. It shows a portrait of the young Louis, with the reverse depicting the French shield. It is in quite good condition for its age and type and a coin dealer would grade this as Very Fine plus. In today's marketplace, it would be valued at about $650 and would be a desirable coin for any discriminating collector.   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465     Diane Whitehouse of Caledon, Ontario, writes. "I have had this item for a long time and would like to know what it is. It is about 1 1/2 inches tall and looks like copper. I know it is Canadian, but that's all I know.”   What you have, Diane, is a cap badge issued to a Canadian soldier in World War I. It is for the 33rd Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). The unit was raised in London, Ontario, in July of 1915. It is made of copper and should have two "lugs" on the back for fixing to a cap. These CEF badges are quite collectible and one like this would sell for $40 to $45. Thank you for your letter and I hope this helps.   Do you have a question for Gary? Email him at: romancoins@rogers.com or call 416-953-2465.     All about Gary Gary Miller of Londinium Coins is a second-generation international coin dealer and the Wayback Times' new For What It's Worth appraiser. Born in England, Gary came to Canada as a young boy and was his father's protege.   They co-owned a coin store into the 1990s and Gary is now a classical numismatist with a strong background in ancient coins. His wide knowledge of coins (Greek, Roman, Byzantine), Medieval coins, especially Europe, modern coins and paper money from Canada, the United States and the world will be used to answer questions.   The Royal Ontario Museum has used Gary's appraisal talents and he has also been a cataloger for major auction houses, so Wayback Times readers wanting information about their coins will be in good company.   Gary says: "I have always strived to maintain a high degree of integrity and honesty and have a great deal of passion for what I do and like to help collectors with good advice and guidance." Welcome aboard, Gary.