Not all small round objects are coins, but they can be valuable just the same – especially if they are made of silver.
Let’s look at an Irish medal that someone purchased years ago and decided to sell.
As noted on the front, this medal from 1972 commemorates St. Patrick’s Day. In particular, the Certificate of Authenticity states:
” The National Trust of Ireland hereby certifies that this St. Patrick’s Day Cachet contains an authentic Limited Edition Proof Medal commemorating the landing of St. Patrick at Cill Mhantáin (Wicklow) in 432 A.D.; that the medal was designed and sculptured by the Irish artist Gabriel Hayes O’Riordan; and that it was minted entirely from pure (.999 fine) Irish silver.
Caoimin Mac an Shionnaigh, Secretary, National Trust of Ireland”
The medal’s obverse shows St. Patrick coming ashore:
The medal’s reverse shows the island of Ireland with its crags and valleys:
The package also includes a description of St. Patrick’s landing:
The text states:
ST. PATRICK’S DAY COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL AND CACHET
The Landing of St. Patrick at Cill Mhantáin – 432 A.D.
This is the first in a series of annual St. Patrick’s Day medallic cachets commemorating important milestones in the life of Ireland’s patron saint. This year’s cachet commemorates St. Patrick’s landing in Ireland at Cill Mhantáin – 432 A.D.
The proof-quality medal in the cachet was designed and sculptured by Gabriel Hayes O’Riordan and was minted of pure Irish silver by the Franklin Mint. This is the first medal that has ever been made of pure (.999 fine) Irish silver. The cachet was postmarked at Cill Mhantáin (Wicklow) on St. Patrick’s Day.
The dies for the medal have now been cancelled and placed in the Maynooth Museum, St. Patrick’s College, County Kildare, which was selected by the National Trust of Ireland as the final repository.
The venerated St. Patrick became known as the national apostle who converted Ireland to Christianity. He was born about 385 in Britain, and was 16 years old when he was captured by Irish pirate raiders, sent to Ireland, and sold as a slave.
One night he received a sign in his sleep that he must escape, which he did by walking almost 200 miles to the coast. There he was able to board a ship for Gaul.
Although he commenced studying for the priesthood, the “voice of the Irish” continued to haunt his thoughts and dreams. Finally, in 432, Patrick set off for Ireland as missionary bishop to evangelize the Irish pagans and to preach the gospel. His faith and toil were richly rewarded, enabling him to carry the gospel into regions no missionary had previously visited.
As you can see above, at some point the silver medal and cachet sold for $10.00. Without weighing, the silver medal’s troy ounce weight is not clear. It’s roughly the size of our modern silver dollars, but it could be slightly smaller and have less thickness. Our commemorative silver dollars contain roughly .77 troy ounce of silver mixed with copper. This medal “minted entirely from pure Irish silver” may contain the full troy ounce.
Regardless of exact weight, at today’s silver rate of over $39 per ounce, this medal is certainly worth more than the $10.00 price tag.
I have a 1973 St. Patricks Day Medal and commemorative cachet from my Irish grandmother. Can someone tell me how much it’s worth?
Irish Blessings,
Marissa Folk
And a Good Day to You!
First, the St. Patrick’s Day medals contain .999 fine Irish silver. With their weight of roughly 25.3 grams that equates to 0.81 troy ounces of .999 pure silver.
On the commodities market, silver is currently fluctuating around $36 per troy ounce.
At that rate, your Irish medal contains just over $29 of silver (.81 times $36).
But, if you were to sell your medal for silver, a dealer would offer less than the silver rate in order to cover their margin for costs and profit. Depending on the individual, that margin could be 10%, 15%, or even higher making the value to you at 90%, 85% or even lower of the value of the silver content.
On the other hand, these medals are currently selling on eBay at prices between $39 and $46 for the full set including the cachet. Again, though, if you were to sell yours to a dealer selling the sets, they would offer you a lesser amount than their retail price. The difference between their buy price and their sales price is to cover their costs and profit.
With the fluctuations in the markets, it’s not possible to assign an absolute value to your 1972 St. Patrick’s Day Medal. But, should you want to sell the medal at some point, please research the current silver values and any sales of similar sets on the web such that you have a good idea of the medal’s market value at that point in time. After researching, you can contact various dealers to find the best offer, because some work on narrow margins (more dollars to you) while others work on wide margins (less dollars to you).
In the meantime, enjoy the remembrance from your Irish grandmother!
I have the entire set of these (7) from 1972-78, each is postmarked in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day and mailed directly to us. The cachets are rather stiff and the clear parts yellowed with age but the coins have never been removed and appear to be perfect. My late husband and I collected them as newly-weds to honor my (partial) Irish heritage. I am assuming that having the complete set, they are more valuable than just the metal weight. It is quite melancholy reading our former addresses, especially now that I have trouble remembering my current address. It is the numbers that will trip one. Do you have any idea of dealers in the Winston-Salem, NC area? These poor darlings have been dragged (not literally) from Pennsylvania to Maryland, then to Washington, D.C., eventually to Belize Central America then back to Alabama and N.C. in the U.S. Except for the 25+ years in D.C., I have been something of a nomad; my feet still itch to see what is over the horizon. I think it is the Irish in me? Happy Easter to you and may you have a glorious Spring. We have had Spring several times now and it is only April. Now it is quite chilly. Maybe the next time Ms. Spring stops by, she’ll stay a while longer.
Good Morning and Happy Easter!
It’s a gorgeous day in the Atlanta area with the sun shining on the spring-green new leaves.
Did your travels ever take you to Ireland? It’s a beautiful country with its “40 shades of green.”
As for your St. Patrick’s Day Commemorative Medal and Cachet sets, they would be more valuable to a collector of Irish things than to most coin dealers.
Many coin dealers pay good market prices for the items that interest them and the items that are currently on demand in the collector or investor market.
Unfortunately, the St. Patrick’s Day Commemorative Medal and Cachet sets, though beautiful, are not prized by many coin dealers.
Many coin dealers would recognize the medals’ silver value but not their beauty and Irish collectible value simply because the sets hold little interest for them.
Here’s a suggestion.
First, search the internet – online coin shops and ebay – for current sales prices for each of the seven sets. This would identify the “retail” price for the items. This will give you an idea of their market worth. If you sell to an individual, this is a good benchmark. If you sell to a business, they will only pay less than retail – and you would need to decide how much less you would be willing to take.
Next, look for people interested in these types of collectibles. One place to search would be local coin clubs. Another would be medal collectors sometimes referenced as exonumia.
Third, visit a coin show in the area where you can talk with a variety of dealers all in one place to see who might have the most interest. Be careful of bullion dealers who would only be interested in the silver content. World coin dealers might understand the market for these medals better.
Fourth, if you have any gift shops in the area with a focus on the Irish or at least a section for Irish items and collectibles, you could talk with the owner about the St. Patrick’s Day Commemorative Medal and Cachet sets. They might be interested.
Unfortunately, in today’s times, people try to take advantage of other people, especially those with valuables that they are considering to sell. These less than ethical people will try to buy for pennies that which is valued at many dollars.
The best thing you can do for yourself is learn as much about the sets as you can. Find out how many sets were made (fewer generally means rarity and a higher value – though not always). Determine if the sets are “proof” or “uncirculated” and which is more valuable for each year. (Short definition: proof will have a mirror-like shine whereas uncirculated has a regular but untouched surface.) Identify any other characteristics that make the sets valuable, for example, the St. Patrick’s Day stamped date, etc.
Have fun becoming the most knowledgeable person about your sets and good luck!