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British coins at a US shop
Large pennies, shillings, and crowns are usually type copper or silver — not dollars. A sovereign is gold. We weigh the metal. We do not pay face in pounds.
A coffee can of British coins is a common visit. Large pennies. Shillings. Crowns. The occasional sovereign.
We do not pay pounds sterling face. We look at metal. Copper is copper. Pre-1947 silver is silver (often .500, not .925 — check the date). A sovereign is gold and we treat it as gold. World coins. Fineness. European silver.
What people get wrong
- “It’s a crown so it’s a dollar” — no.
- “Victoria is automatically rare” — no. Old is not rare.
- “The gold one is a medal” — sometimes. Weigh it. Medal vs coin.
Sort gold out. Sort silver out. Leave the copper in a box. We will look at dates if you already pulled the odd ones.