Pimp my old coins

Miscellaneous General
1

I found some old coins, some dating as back as 1850. Can anyone identify the metals they’re made of? I’m especially interested if I own any silver:

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/9356/dscn0782yu0.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/6276/dscn0785fx6.jpg

One of the more interesting pieces of metal was one which had the following text on one side:

“one check good for 50 cents at geiger’s clothing store bucyruso on a $15.000 cash purchase”

On the other side there was, I believe, a portrait of George Washington. It dates from 1908.

2

I am guessing that the the ones next to the Romanian 500 Lie coin are at least some silver. But what I find interesting is that they are still on a string that looks like a military style bootlace. Looks like war-booty from the Balkan area and probably will be more valueable for its historical content than its silver content.

But I am guessing you need to do more research. Lots of coin hobbiests out there…