The 10 Most Valuable Foreign Coins: Complete Price Guide

Are you looking beyond collectible US coins? Or do you have some foreign coins in possession?

Regardless of the answer, foreign coins can hold great tags and personal interest in the market.

A foreign coin can give you an endless trove of another country’s history. But not all foreign coins hold significant or similar value.

We got you the top 10 valuable foreign coins with a detailed guideline.

The answers to all your questions will uncover right in this article. You’ll get to know all the essential points for proper pricing.

Which Foreign Coins are Valuable?

Foreign coin market is worth millions of dollars across the world. And it keeps breaking previous selling records from time to time. Why don’t you start with the most foreign valuables first?

Let’s check out the top 10 most valuable coins.

No.	Coin	Year	Country	Selling Firm	Price
1.	Ummayad Gold Dinar	723	Saudi Arabia	Morten & Eden	£6.02 million
2.	Q. Servilius Caepio	42 BC	Roman Republic	Roma Numismatics Limited	$4.17 million
3.	$1M Gold Maple Leaf	2007	Canada	Dorotheum Auction House	$4.07 million
4.	Single 9 Pond	1898	South Africa	South Cape Coins	$4.0 million
5.	House of Commons	1892	Canada	Private Sale	$3.73 million
6.	Decadrachm	406/409 BC	Agrigentum	Numismatica Ars Classica	$2.92 million
7.	Ruble Pattern	1825	Russia	Stack’s Bowers	$2.64 million
8.	Dollar Pattern	1928	China	Stack’s Bowers	$2.28 million
9.	Edward VIII 5 Pounds Pattern	1937	United Kingdom	Heritage Auctions	$2.28 million
10.	Sigismund III Vasa 100 Ducat	1621	Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth	Classical Numismatic Group	$2.16 million

Top 10 Valuable Foreign Coin by Price

#1. Ummayad Gold Dinar

The gold dinar struck from an Arabian gold mine is one of the rarest Islamic coins. It dates back to 105 AH or 723/724 AD. The is probably a special issue from the then caliphate.

Only a mere dozen still exists today, making it more special. The text says – Mine of the Commander of the Faithful. And it indicates northwest of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

#2. Q. Servilius Caepio

The gold coin denotes the infamous ‘Ides of March in 44 BC. Imprinted ‘EID – MAR’ is an abbreviation of “Eidibus Martiis” or Ides of March.

After two years, Brutus is believably ordered minting the coin to immortalize his participation.

Only three gold coins in existence make it extremely rare and valuable. Deutsche Bank & British Museum have the other two in permanent possession.

#3. $1M Gold Maple Leaf

Even the very-recent bullion or special coin can value millions. And the 21” diameter coin to weigh 200 pounds already entered Guinness Records.

About 99.999% gold with $1M face value portraits Queen Elizabeth.

The unique coin is one of a kind, with only five existing coins & one stolen. That’s why the inflated value reached a staggering $4.07 million in 2010.

#4. Single 9 Pond

This rare coin is hardly known outside of South Africa. However, its story coincides with the Anglo-Boer war. Boer Republics minted nearly 130 coins in the first stage.

It’s a historical artifact resembling political & social struggles in the early 1900s.

The imprinted nine denotes actually signifies 1899, minted in 1898. Nothing but a large nine on the surface eventually developed the name – ‘Single 9’.

#5. House of Commons

There are many varieties available for the Canadian house of commons coin. However, coins to portrait John Thompson remains one of the most valuables.

The other side has Ottawa, Canada, House of Commons & Chambre Des Communes in texts.

A classified private sale made headlines with a $3.73M value for one coin. However, you can still find many coins in different collectibles at lower prices.

#6. Decadrachm

Extremely rare circa silver from the early Greek periods has certain strings attached. No wonder why the 409 – 406 BC coin broke the pricing record multiple times.

The unsigned minted coin is considerably realistic like no other at that time.

Its Myron-designed obverse has a quadriga driven by one charioteer with an eagle & a snake. And the Polyainos-designed reverse contains two eagles perching on a lying dead hare.

#7. Ruble Pattern

It’s one of the most desirable & elusive coins in Russian history. Imprinted majestic pattern portraits Constantine with a complicated reverse decoration.

The fabled ruble denotes the refusal of the Russian throne by Constantine.

There are only six examples with two different sidings in existence. However, five of the six had edge lettering. And the other remained only one of its kind.

#8. Dollar Pattern

Impressive silver base contains scattered gold shields across the surface. And the rare coin from the 1920s honors Chang Tso-lin or the Mukden Tiger.

Its exquisite needle-sharp striking detail enables a covet-patterned tone.

There are two-crossed flags to denote the Chinese flag and the Wuchang uprising. A multitude of hues with great originality makes it one valuable collectible.

#9. Edward VIII 5 Pounds Pattern

Only a few coins were minted for the coronation of Edward VIII. In fact, only six of the commemorative British gold coins exist.

Its opposite surface denotes a fighting knight to crush a snake. And the original minting year 1937 keeps lustering right below.

The coin remains another portrayal of abdicating the throne. Extreme rarity & well-preserved condition seems worth the price.

#10. Sigismund III Vasa 100 Ducat

Polish coinage had its golden age during King Sigismund III Vasa. And the beautiful 100 Ducat from 1621 generated great public interest.

Gdansk-based medallier crafted the dies used to mint the coin.

King’s one-side face surrounded by several denoting initials cover the front. It even illustrates the polish coinage on the back till the 1650s.

What Foreign Coins is Gold?

Gold coins came into the picture in the 6^th century BC. West Asian kingdoms, Greeks & even Persians started minting gold coins.

But the majority of the existing ones were minted during the 1800s. Early coins contained about 90% – 92% gold mixed with other metals.

It’s almost the same for several alloyed gold coins. Krugerrand from South Africa is a well-known alloyed gold coin.

Some modern bullions are made of pure gold. Famous examples are – Canadian Maple Leaf, Britannia & American Buffalo.

What Foreign Coins is Silver?

Silver covers the oldest form of mass-produced coinage. Likewise, it started to get minted from the 600s BC by Greeks, Persians.

Ancient silver coins include Miliarense and Denarius. Middle ages and early modern periods also feature many collectible silver coins.

You can consider Spanish Milled Dollar, sceat, akce from the ages. Modern bullion coins have been minting since the 1980s.

There are many factors to influence silver coin pricing. Rarity, condition, demand & originality are a must for a good value.

How to Identify Foreign Coins?

The first step always starts with proper identification. Recognizing some foreign coins may take no time at all. And there are coins to cost you considerable effort on tracing.

You ought to mark off the following features –

• Country – Middle-aged and early-modern coins have country names on them. However, the fact is true in several European and American countries. Many countries didn’t imprint the name till recent times.
• Language – Well, you better check the language. Hindi, Arabic, Chinese are easy to recognize from their alphabetical pattern. You may need to contact experts to ensure originating time or exact country.
• Symbol – Of course, not many coins are available in this category. But there are coins with undeciphered country or language. And you’re to pull many strings using the surface symbols from the internet.

Getting involved in forums like CoinCommunity/CoinTalk can surely help. Also, don’t turn back from researching the online sources for additional suggestions.

There are websites to contain photos & blogs on old foreign coins. You should check into CoinArchives, WorldCoinsInfo, ClassicalNumismaticGallery, CoinAppraiser.

WorldCoinGallery and StacksBowers contain a large collection of foreign coin pic. Feel free to explore the sites to enlighten your knowledge of foreign coins.

How to Determine the Value of Old Foreign Coins?

It’s challenging to evaluate the actual value of old foreign coins. Almost 100 years old, rare, intact coins can cost millions. Confirmed origin often pushes the price high in auctions.

Determining the value depends on many facts like –

• Actual originality – It’s compulsory to track down the year/age or country/kingdom. Coins from well-set empires should value satisfactorily high. Also, the tag gets higher for older collectibles.
• Current condition – Obviously, a damaged coin surface can’t attract potential investment. You’re to make sure clear surface imprints. And the writings or symbols on its surfaces should remain visible.
• Rare in quantity – You can’t expect a great amount for abundantly available coins. In fact, rarity is key to achieving a significant tag in auctions. Minimal existence will automatically boost the value.
• Minting method – Almost all ancient or medieval coins are hand minted. Meantime, early modern ones are more or less machine-made. Antiquity stands to value more for hand-minted coins.
• Materials used – Early gold, silver, nickel, alloy coins possess excellent value. But you’re to confirm its authenticity first. Even modern-day limited or commemorative ones have a mind-numbing price.
• Special significance – Collectors can barely neglect coins relating to a particular event. There’s a coin, and there’s a coin with history. Documented incidents from the past increase the coin value.
• Auctioning place – America keeps organizing auctions every now and then. And you’ll receive almost the actual price. However, somewhat irregular local auctioning may get you more/less value.
• Collecting demand – One important fact concerns the current demand for your owned coins. Not all coins have similar demands. Therefore, you must recognize the ongoing demand for collectibles.
• Previous auctions – There’s an excellent chance to evaluate the price based on earlier trades. And you’ll have to look into authentic markets only. It should give an approximate idea of possible pricing.

In total, pricing old foreign coins are no simple task. Hiring expert services can get you a proper valuation. Numismatic auctions are a great source to understand market prices.

Heritage Auctions is one of the most leading platforms. Many of the highest trades took place here. Its collection features a vast collection of precious and rare coins.

Other leading auctions include – NumismaticAuctionsLLC, NumisBids, SixBid & GreatCollections.

How to Tell If Foreign Coins are Silver?

As mentioned, silver coins are the first mass-produced coinage. But many foreign coins have a different combination of metals. And if the foreign coins are silver is a frequently asked question.

• Check the edges closely. It should feature a solid, shining silver stripe.
• Brownish stripes resemble clad. Then the coin is made of copper.
• And subdued stripe with grayish appeal reveals 40% silver content.
• Tap the coin on a metal piece/silver coin. You should hear a low clink.
• Louder clink means either a copper coin or a copper-silver alloy.
• Find the imprinted date. No foreign coin was minted after the 1960s.

(Credit – AtlantaGoldandCoin)

Where to Sell Foreign Coins?

Did you really just identify one or two valuable foreign coins? Well, the next problem comes with its selling. After all the research, getting a reasonable selling price seems to matter the most.

There are many well-known dealers available to deal with coins. Plus, you can get proper identification services as well. Don’t just jump into random dealers or numismatic auctions by yourself.

AmericanRarities provides appraisals & trading for old coins. VintageCashCow, LeftoverCurrency, ADCoinandJewelry offer similar services. Explore the reviews to know more about pricing.

Again, online communities can come in handy in those confusing times. Ask questions to learn potential suggestions from experts. Dig into the previous chats to reveal information on coin selling.

Wrapping Up

The article presents the 10 most valuable coins outside the US in brief. Also, you should get some ideas on the coin values from the mentioned sites.

And it follows descriptive yet concise guidelines on pricing the coins. The tips should lead you to a successful price evaluation of any foreign coin.

Please drop a comment below to let us know your thoughts. Feel free to discuss your interest/owned foreign coins.