Foreign Silver!

I just went to a local coin shop and asked to see their foreign coins. They sell their foreign coins for 8-9 bucks a pound. I looked through the coins and found a few great ones. I got about 8 coins for $1.50. I got two silver coins that had a melt value of over $5. Is that great deal?

Here are some of the coins that I got.
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces12421.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces575.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces679.html

The guys in that shop are really nice. As a young collector, when I went into the shop, another customer saw me looking through the foreigns. He told me that he would bring in some foreign coins for me! There are several silver! Thank you!

Quote: "mullom"​I just went to a local coin shop and asked to see their foreign coins. They sell their foreign coins for 8-9 bucks a pound. I looked through the coins and found a few great ones. I got about 8 coins for $1.50. I got two silver coins that had a melt value of over $5. Is that great deal?
​
​Here are some of the coins that I got.
​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces12421.html
​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces575.html
​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces679.html
​
​The guys in that shop are really nice. As a young collector, when I went into the shop, another customer saw me looking through the foreigns. He told me that he would bring in some foreign coins for me! There are several silver! Thank you!

​It sounds like a good deal, but note that the melt value cannot be based on weight alone. The 6 pence, for example, is only 50% silver. (And of course the Chinese coin is... 0% silver.)

I notice from the Numista page that the French 5 francs was still 83.5% silver in the late 1960s?? Is that right?? Can any expert out there confirm?

​I looked up what the melt value was on a different site that tells you what the melt value is.
The melt value of the small coin is 65cents and the larger coin $4.62
https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/great-britain-6-pence-km-832-1927-1936-cuid-1129223-duid-1325691
https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/france-5-francs-km-926-1960-1969-cuid-1201903-duid-1264553

Quote: "Camerinvs"​
​I notice from the Numista page that the French 5 francs was still 83.5% silver in the late 1960s?? Is that right?? Can any expert out there confirm?

​That's right, .835 silver until 1969 (which means the mintage of the silver 5F coin happens to coincide almost completely with the presidency of de Gaulle).

I'm fairly sure I have seen this coin being sold at prices that were actually under its melt value in France, probably out of carelessness or lack of bother for such a common coin.

Some sellers who are not specialised in modern French coins mistake the silver 5 francs with the Copper-nickel ones (more common) minted later :
The 1 and 2 francs "Semeuse" were minted in silver until 1920 only... when they started to mint this serie again in 1959 (1977 for the 2 francs), they choose to strike them in nickel instead... except for the 5 francs (at least until 1970 ).

Quote: "Cycnos"​Some sellers who are not specialised in modern French coins mistake the silver 5 francs with the Copper-nickel ones (more common) minted later :
​The 1 and 2 francs "Semeuse" were minted in silver until 1920 only... when they started to mint this serie again in 1959 (1 franc, 5 francs) and 1977 (2 francs), they choose to strike them in nickel instead... except for the 5 francs (at least until 1970 ).

​Ok. That is very interesting! Thank you!

Nice catch... didn't knew France produced circulation silver coins that late

Quote: "i_getsov"​Nice catch... didn't knew France produced circulation silver coins that late
​

​Yeah me neither. I'm new at collecting and I thought that the coin looked cool. I had no idea that it was silver till I got home to look it up and catalog it.

You have two options, buy all their foreign coins and sort through it at home and resell the leftovers. Tell them to hold it back and you will come in once a week and buy all they have...
that’s what I’d do. Or,
sift through it there at the shop every week.
Getting $5 coins for 25 cent is the best way to add to your collection! Don’t pass up the chance you have.

Quote: "mullom"​

Quote: "i_getsov"​Nice catch... didn't knew France produced circulation silver coins that late
​​

​​Yeah me neither. I'm new at collecting and I thought that the coin looked cool. I had no idea that it was silver till I got home to look it up and catalog it.
​

​Technically the Herculean trio 10F and 50F coins are also circulating coins (at least, that was their intent), but few if anyone actually used them in the 1960s/70s. Even the 100 Franc commemoratives issued in the 1980s and 90s are (and as such are listed as "circulating commemorative" here on Numista), but of course they were very rarely, if ever actually seen in circulation.

A French member told me that the legal tender status of the 10F, being a crownsize coin, was intended to imitate the old 5 francs coin last minted under the franc germinal in 1889; this and the re-use of Roty's Semeuse design (last used in 1920) were intended to inspire confidence in the New Franc by re-using old, sentimental designs.