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Medal vs coin: if it has no denomination, it is probably a medal
A coin is issued as money and has a denomination. A medal is art in metal. Franklin Mint silver is often a medal. The shop pays metal if the metal is real, not a face value it never had.
A coin is money. It has a denomination and an issuing authority. A medal is a piece of metal with a design. It may be pretty. It may be silver. It is not a half dollar.
The Franklin Mint and a long list of private mints sold sterling plates, rounds, and “commemoratives” in a red box. People bring them as coins. We look for HALF DOLLAR, ONE DOLLAR, 1 OZ, or a government name. If it only says Franklin Mint and 1776–1976, it is a medal. Proof vs bullion. Privy and colorized novelties.
What we pay
Sterling medals: silver weight. Same as sterling flatware, nicer shape. Copper and pewter medals: little or nothing. A US commemorative half dollar with a date and HALF DOLLAR is a coin — classic commems if it is 1892–1954.
Panama 20 balboas is a coin with a huge face. A Franklin Mint Panama medal in the same box is not.
Leave it in the case. We will weigh the silver ones.
More on the coin and money library.
How to tell in five seconds
- Does it name a denomination the law would recognize?
- Does it name a government mint or “United States of America” as issuer?
- Or does it name a private mint, a club, or only a date range?
Rounds marked 1 OZ .999 are bullion, not medals in the souvenir sense and not circulating coins. We pay them as ounces. Government vs generic.
People also ask
Is Franklin Mint silver fake? Usually real sterling or .999. It is just not a US coin.
Why did I pay $40 in 1976? You paid for the box and the ad. We pay the metal.
Are so-called dollars medals? Mostly yes — that is a collector name for medal-like pieces.
Dollar-sized US event medals have their own name and book: so-called dollars (HK numbers).