Foreign Coins Worth Money: What Americans Commonly Inherit

If you’ve inherited foreign coins worth money, you’re not alone. We get calls every week from families who discover old coins tucked into jewelry boxes, desk drawers, or safe-deposit boxes and wonder if they’re valuable or just souvenirs.

The truth? Many foreign coins inherited in the United States do contain real gold or silver.

The gold coins we see most often

The most common foreign gold coins in American estates usually came from immigration, wartime savings, coins that soldiers brought home, or international travel decades ago. The coins we see again and again include British Gold Sovereigns, French or Swiss 20-Franc coins, Austrian Ducats or Coronas, Mexican gold Pesos, and South African Krugerrands.

British Gold Sovereigns are one of the most commonly inherited gold coins in the United States and often date from the late 1800s to mid-1900s.

Krugerrands, meanwhile, are modern gold bullion coins that became popular investments starting in the 1970s. It’s pure gold (22k) and has been a hugely popular investment coin since the late 1960s, which is why it shows up in estates all the time. When someone says they found a gold coin with an antelope on it, it’s almost always a Krugerrand.

These coins were widely circulated, easy to buy, and trusted worldwide as a way to store wealth — which is why they still show up in family inheritances today.

The silver coins that turn up all the time

Foreign silver coins are even more common. Many countries used real silver in everyday coins until the mid-1900s, and families often saved them as keepsakes or travel mementos.

We frequently see older silver coins from Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands — especially coins dated before the 1960s.

What to look for

If you’re sorting through inherited coins, here’s the simple rule of thumb.

Old, heavy coins with words like Franc, Peso, Corona, Sovereign, Ducat, or Krugerrand are absolutely worth a closer look.

If you’ve found coins like these, they may contain real precious metal — and it’s always worth having them evaluated as part of a larger estate or collection. Orion’s Attic is here to help.

Want to learn more about selling your gold and silver? Read the full story here.

Contact us today and let us know how we can be of help. Check out our new YouTube channel, too. 

Learn more about liquidating estates in our Estate Liquidation and Downsizing Guide.

About Orion’s Attic

Orion’s Attic is a full-service estate liquidation, downsizing and home cleanout company based in Silver Spring, Maryland. When families inherit coins, jewelry, or precious metals as part of a larger estate, we help identify what may have real value and connect clients with trusted buyers when appropriate.

If you’re dealing with an entire home, estate, or large collection, we’re here to help. We also buy antiques and collectibles, gold, silver, coins, fine jewelry, and sterling silver.  We serve Montgomery County (Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Wheaton, etc.), Baltimore County, Frederick County, Howard County, Prince George’s County, and the greater metro Washington D.C., Maryland, Northern Virginia area. Our company helps individuals, families, executors, and trustees sell gold, silver, fine jewelry, and sterling silver with confidence, transparency, and speed. If your goal is to sell gold and silver in the greater Washington, D.C. area quickly, safely, and at today’s market price, Orion’s Attic is ready to help.