I think I'd like to begin with a discussion of changing market conditions. I'm a middle level dealer (some would consider that an exaggeration). I've been doing this since 1978. Back in the good old days, Puerto Rican coins might turn up occasionally. About 90 percent of those would be 5 centavos, 9.5 percent would be 10 and 20, 0.4 percent would be a peso, all the rest (one in 3 plus decades) would be 40 centavos. At least half of the 5s and 10s would be ex-jewelry.

One Puerto Rican coin has turned up this year. It was an ex-jewelry 5 centavos coin that was scratched up and part of an old collection. It was a real piece of junk that was offered for $25 - there were nine orders for it. Every "one-coin-of-every-country" collector needs one. The home interest is high - not just there but among the emigrated, of which there are more than remain on the island. In any year I will get several inquiries from Puerto Ricans looking for mementos of their homeland.

Read Full Story