Switzerland Bern Thaler and 1/2 Taler 1679 and 1680

This is a grand old silver thaler (pronounces like 'dollar' but with a 't', not a 'd') from Bern, Switzerland. The bear and interlocked B patterns are common for such coins. Two denominations were produced:

1/2 THALER: 32 mm diameter
THALER: 40 mm diameter

If you have a well preserved coin with no (or few) problems such as scratches, stains, cleanings, darkening, nicks, gouges and the like, you have a valuable coin.

NEVER CLEAN A COIN. CLEANING RUINS VALUE.

Well worn coins are not worth very much, but if your coin is in average circulated condition or better, the value goes up substantially. Some very approximate values for thalers are:

worn: $30 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $300
well preserved: $1000

Very approximately, 1/2 thalers are worth about one-half this much. Use our Important Terminology page to understand how these catalog values translate into actual buy and sell values.

There are many variations of these coins and the values change dramatically depending on the specific variety. If you have a nice looking specimen of this coin, seek out a coin dealer or knowledgeable collector for an in-person inspection.
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