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“A”
About good
- one of the lowest grades in most grading standard books. Typically an about good coin is a very worn coin with some outline of the design and a readable date. Falls below below the grade of good. Sometimes abbreviated as AG.
About Uncirculated
– Same as “Almost Uncirculated”. Sometimes abbreviated as “AU”.
abrasion
- marks or small scratches on the surface of a coin where another coin or object has slid across or bumped the coin. Can also be caused by the coin sliding in a holder or coin drawer. Not as deep or noticeable as bag marks. Usually found on the high parts of a coin or in the open fields (background). Sometimes the terms scuffing, light rubbing, or hairlines are also used to indicate light abrasive wear.
accumulation
- A group of coins, sometimes not of any certain type or date. Also can be a “hoard”.
Ag
- elemental abbreviation for SILVER
AG
– Same as “About good”.
AirTite Holder
- A popular brand of plastic found shaped holders for coins. They snap together and are often used to display, protect, and store individual coins.
Album, or coin album
- Coin albums resemble a book, with holes or openings for displaying coins on each page. Some are push in types where the coin is pushed in a hole in the cardboard page. Other albums offer plastic sleeves or protective clear places for coin storage and display.
alloy
- a mixture of two or more metals melted into one compound. For example old Liberty Head gold coins minted prior to 1933 were made of an alloy. Although they were mostly gold a small amount of other metal was added to the gold to give the resulting coins a hardness that pure gold didn’t offer. Harder gold coins withstood wear better during circulation. Most coins are made of some type of alloy. Even the US nickel is made of an alloy of nickel and other metals.
Almost Uncirculated
- A coin or paper money note that is very close to being uncirculated. Upon first glance it may appear un-circulated. When inspected closely it will have a slight amount of wear or friction. Same as “About Uncirculated”. Sometimes abbreviated as “AU”, or “A Unc”. alteration
- intentional tampering of a coin usually to make it appear more valuable. Often deals with the coin’s date or mintmark. However, it can involve changing the appearance (after a coin was minted) such as when hobo nickels were made. If the intent of altering can be viewed as an attempt to deceive or fraud, prosecution can result. Also, see altered date.
altered date
- a coin with the date manipulated or altered after the coin was produced. Often done to try to deceive someone. For example, an unscrupulous person might alter the date of a 1944-D cent to look like a 1914-D cent, by filing off part of the first 4 to make it look like the number 1.
American Eagle
Silver, gold, and platinum gold coins released by the US government starting in Oct. 1986. Front (obverse) depicts Liberty walking and reverse side bears an American Eagle and nest design. Produced in both Uncirculated and Proof conditions. The silver coins are often called Silver Eagles, gold coins often called Gold Eagles, and Platinum are called Platinum eagles.
American Eagle Bullion Coins
These are the uncirculated – mint condition versions of the United States “American Eagles” gold, silver, or platinum coins. See “American Eagles”.
American Eagle Proof Coins
Silver, gold, and platinum US gold coins that are of special “Proof” quality. Sold by the United States Mint. Proofs are made with special polished coin dies that give the coins a polished mirror-like appearance.
American Numismatic Association (ANA)
- the most popular nonprofit educational coin collectors organization in America. Encourages the study of numismatics; collecting of money. The American Numismatic Association headquarters and national ‘Money Museum’ are located in Colorado Springs, CO. Often called the A.N.A.
American Numismatic Society (ANS)
- another nonprofit educational organization of coin collectors and dealers. Established prior to the civil war it promotes the study of coin collecting, numismatics. Often called the A.N.S.
American Silver Eagle
- sometimes called the silver eagle dollar coin or ASE. American Silver Eagle coins were first minted by the United States government in 1986. These 1 ounce solid silver coins are sold to collectors and dealers by the US Mint, and no versions are made for circulating through the banking system.
A.N.A.
– abbreviation for the “American Numismatic Association”.
ANACS
- American Numismatic Association Certification Service. This grading and certification service certifies coins as genuine, grades, and encapsulates them. One of the original grading services. Has now changed ownership and is no longer under the direction of the American Numismatic Association (ANA).
ANS
– abbreviation for the “American Numismatic Society”.
anvil die
- bottom die. A coin is struck using two dies. One for the obverse (front) of the coin and another for the reverse (back). The anvil die is the one on the bottom, which is usually the reverse. The term comes from when the die was placed on an anvil with the coin blank (planchet) on top. The hammer die (top die) was placed on top of the coin and struck with a hammer. See “hammer die” and “die”.
annealing
- the process of heating coin blanks (planchlets) in a furnace to soften the metal prior to striking coins out of them.
artificial toning
- changing the color or surface tone of a coin by applying chemicals, heat, or treating a coin with something. Done to make the coin appear natural or unusual, or to cover up signs that the coin has been cleaned or polished. See toning and natural toning.
ask price
- The price a dealer or trader is asking for a coin. Often used to indicate the “wholesale” asking price between dealers or on a coin trading network.
assay
– to determine the purity of the metal by scientific means. An
assay of precious metal coins (gold and silver) is often done to establish that the coins do indeed contain the proper purity and amounts of precious metal.
Authentic (authenticate)
- A coin issued by an official government or a token issued by the original entity. Authentic indicates it is not a replica or counterfeit coin. Grading services such as PCGS, NGC, and ANACS will first authenticate (determine that it is genuine) before grading the coin. See genuine,official, and Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
Avoirdupois
- official description of the weight system we use in the USA for weighing most items. This unit of weight consists of 16 ounces in a pound and 2,000 pounds in a ton. Same weight system used in US grocery stores to weigh produce.
Au
– elemental (scientific) abbreviation for the metal GOLD.
AU
– See “About Uncirculated” or “Almost Uncirculated”.
“B”
bag mark
–Mark(s) on a coin that occurred during the production process or while at the mint. Bag marks may occur when coins bump into each other as they are placed in bags at the mint. Larger size coins typically exhibit more bag marks than smaller ones. A coin can still be un-circulated even if it has obvious nicks or bag marks.
bag stain
- discoloration, tarnish, or toning on the surface of a coin because of coming in contact with the cloth of a coin bag. Long term storage in canvas or cloth bags may cause such bag stains.
bank notes
- paper money. In the 1800’s banks often issued their own paper money. These bank notes were backed by bank resources, rather than governments. The term banknote continues to this day, as a reference to paper currency. See paper money and paper currency.
bar
- usually an “ingot” shaped as a rectangle. Can be gold, silver, or any precious metal. Gold and silver bars vary in size from 1 gram up to thousands of ounces.
Barber
- nick name for United States dimes, quarters, and half dollars designed by Charles E. Barber. Barber coins we minted from 1892 to 1916. Originally these coins were called Liberty Head because they depict a “liberty head” design on the front (obverse) and a eagle with shield on the reverse. Although Charles Barber designed other coins, only the Barber Dimes, Barber Quarters, and Barber Half dollars have acquired this nickname. (Sometimes misspelled as barbar.)
Barber, Charles E.
- Charles E Barber was chief engraver of the US Mint in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Coins that he designed often have an almost microscopic “B” on them, often at the base of the neck on the portraits. He designed various United States coins for circulation, commemoration, and some pattern coins such as the rare $4 Flowing Hair Stella coin.
beads or beading
- round bead-like decorations on the surface of a coin. When it is placed on a coin for artistic reasons, it is often a circle of beads on the face of a coin, usually near the rim or edge.
bicentennial, or bicentennial coins
- usually refers to special coins minted for the 200th anniversary of the United States of America. US Quarters, Half Dollars and the Eisenhower dollar dated 1976 had a special commemorative type reverse designs. Some Bicentennial coins were minted in 1975 with the 1976 date.
Bid
- the price a dealer (or dealers) are offering to pay for a coin. Sometimes used to indicate a standing offer at that price from a coin dealer or on a trading network. Also, see “site unseen”.
Billon
- a low grade of silver. Although sometimes silver in color, usually made of part silver and part copper.
bimetallic (Bi Metallic)
- a coin made of at least two different metals that are sealed to each other. The two different metals in a bi-metallic coin are typically observable, as in the copper-nickel-clad US coins of today.
Bison
– see buffalo nickels and buffalo gold coins.
Bit
- slang used to indicate one eighth of a dollar. In early days of the USA the Spanish Milled Dollar (pillar dollar or 8 reales) circulated. Due to a shortage of smaller coins these silver dollars were often cut into pieces shaped like slices of pizza. A small piece equal to one eighth of the dollar was called a “piece of eight” or a “bit”. The nursery rime “two bits, four bits, 6 bits, a dollar” comes from this time in history.”A bit would be the equivalent of 12 1/2 cents. Example, two bits equals two eighths or a quarter.
blank
- a blank piece of metal on which a coin design can be stamped. Also called a planchlet (planchet). Usually already cut into the shape of a coin – round, flat and plan, without any design. See planchet or flan.
blemish
- a surface flaw or appearance of imperfection on the surface of a coin. Bag marks, discoloration, tarnish, spots, nicks are examples of blemishes.
Blue Book
- Coin collecting price guide that lists the wholesale prices that a US coin dealer might pay. Has a blue cover, hence the term blue book. Differs from the Red Book in that the Red Book (Guide Book to US Coins) lists the approximate retail values of US coins.
Blue Sheet
- Nickname for the Certified Coin Dealer newsletter. Printed on bluish paper. The bluesheet lists various US coins and bid/ask dealer prices for some of these certified/graded coins. See grey sheet.
body bag
- identifies a coin that was returned by a coin grading/certification in a poly bag or flip and not certified/graded because of some problem with the coin. Most coin grading
services charge to examine a coin, even if they decide not to grade, slab or certify the coin.
borderline
- A coin that falls on the edge between two grades. Most often used as “borderline uncirculated”, indicating a high grade almost uncirculated coin. Such a coin might fall in the range of AU55 to AU59 in the coin grading point scale.
bourse
– see “show”.
branch mints
- minting branches of the U.S. government minting facility. The Philadelphia Mint has been the main mint for US coins. Other mints are considered branch mints.
brilliant uncirculated
- a descriptive term used to indicate an uncirculated coin that still retains a lot of the brilliant luster. Not a heavily toned coin. BU is used to abbreviate brilliant uncirculated.
broad strike
- When coins are minted a collar surrounds the coin blank and holds it in place. This collar keeps the metal from spreading out when the coin is struck on. If a coin blank is not properly seated in the collar, and it is struck, the result will be an odd size or broadstruck coin.
bronze
- an alloy (mixture) of copper, zinc, and tin. Color usually brownish yellow.
brown spotting
- brown or rust colored spots appearing on the surface of a coin. Often a form of tarnish or an oxidation type reaction with the coin’s surface
or something that has adhered to the coin’s surface. Some times brownish yellow or red.
BN
- abbreviation for Brown. A natural common color for copper coins. brushed
- a coin that has been brushed or cleaned with a wire brush, or some other material. The surface will show fine lines, or hairline scratches from the cleaning.
BU
- Brilliant Uncirculated. A coin grading term that indicates a coin has no wear, has never been exposed to circulation, and shows a surface brilliance as that of a newly minted coin. Such mint state coins will fall between MS60 and MS70 on the coin grading scale.
buffalo gold coin
- 1 ounce bullion type of United States gold coins. First issued in 2006. Contains 1 ounce of .999 fine (99.9% pure) gold and has a $50 face value. Official US government legal tender coin issued by the US mint. Similar in gold content to the Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins. The US mint began producing smaller size buffalo gold coins in 2008, with the introduction of tenth, fourth, and half ounce gold buffalo coins.
buffalo nickel
- old buffalo US five cent coins were minted from 1913 to 1938. These old nickels depicted an Indian Head design on one side and the Buffalo or American Bison on the other. The buffalo-bison design was revived in the year 2005 for a one year special minting on the US nickel again. United States gold coins and a commemorative silver dollar have also been made with a buffalo design.
buffalo round
- buffalo rounds are sometimes call buffalo or Indian head silver rounds. Minted by private mints and refineries they usually contain one ounce of silver. Often they feature a design like that of the old Buffalo nickels with a buffalo on one side and an Indian’s head on
the other. Buffalo silver rounds usually sell for close to the value of silver bullion they contain.
buffing
- a polishing of a coin sometimes with an abrasive that leaves a finish that attempts to counterfeit mint luster. See whizzed.
bullion
-term used when referring to items made of precious metal. Particularly silver, gold, and platinum. Often produced in the form of ingots, bars, rounds, and coins. Bullion value of a coin would be the “value of the metal” the coin contains.
bullion coin
- coins made of precious metal and traded at current bullion prices, or at a small premium over bullion.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
- United States government agency that produces paper money for the U.S. and some other countries.
burnished blank or burnished die
- treatment of a coin blank or die to give it a special slightly sandy or polished look. Sometimes burnishing is done with chemicals or by special polishing. Starting in 2006 the US Mint made Silver Eagle dollar coins with special burnished coin blanks. These coins have a ‘ W ‘ mint mark.
burnishing
- polishing or rubbing the surface of a coin or coin blank to make it shiny. Burnishing of a minted coin is often considered detrimental and should be mentioned in any coin description.
bury or buried
– purchasing a coin or coins for more than you can get for them.
business strike
- a coin produced for general use and circulation. Non-business strikes would be coins such as proofs, and special uncirculated coins or sets not intended to circulate.
bust
– portrait on a coin, usually displaying the head, or head and shoulders.
buyer fee or buyers fee
- a fee imposed on the buyer in a coin or stamp auction.
- C “
cast coin
- a coin that was made by pouring melted metal into a mold or cast. Not made by striking a die against a blank like most coins.
cameo (deep cameo, ultra cameo, or cam)
- usually refers to the looks of a proof coin, where the background design has a mirror like look and the raised design has a frosted look to it. This contrast gives the resulting proof coin a cameo type affect. Deep cameo and ultra cameo describe the same cameo affect and imply that the cameo look is very pronounced and easily observed. This cameo affect is normal for modern day proofs, but it is rarely found on coins made for standard circulation.
carbon spotting or carbon spots
- Dark spots, usually black or brown, found on the surface of a coin. They can be of various sizes and shapes. These carbon colored spots are caused by oxidation on the coin’s surface and will sometimes hurt the coin’s value.
Carson City Mint
- A United States government branch mint found at Carson City Nevada. Minted primarily silver coins from 1870 to the early 1890’s. Carson City minted coins are easily identified by a “CC” mint mark. This mint was established primarily to use the vast amounts of silver being mined in that area of the USA.
cartwheel or cart wheel
- Nickname for a US Silver Dollar or large silver dollar like coin. This term is sometimes used to describe the luster effect on some brilliant uncirculated coins, where the light reflects off the surface of the coin pattern similar to the spokes of a wagon wheel.
Cent
- one hundredth of a dollar on standard currency. Called a centime, centabo,
centimes, or penny in some countries.
centered or centering
- describes the position of the coin design in relation to the coin blank (planchet)A well centered coin is one that is struck right in the middle of the coin blank and shows a rim that is the same width all around the coin. See “off centered”.
certified or certified coin
- A coin certified as genuine by a coin certification service as genuine. Often a certified coin will be graded by a coin grading service such asPCGSS, NGC, ANACS. Often a certified coin is accompanied by a photograph certificate or sealed in a special plastic slab. Also see “slabbed”.
Charlotte Mint
- A United States government branch mint in Charlotte, North Carolina. Used to mint primarily gold coins prior to the Civil War.
The mint stopped coin production in 1861. These coins have a “C” mint mark.
cherry picker (cherrypicker)
- a collector or dealer who finds hidden scarce coins by looking through collections or dealer’s inventory.
chop marks
- oriental marks or characters stamped into previously made coins. Often found on silver trade dollars and other precious metal coins. When coins were used for trading purposes an oriental assayer would test a piece of the coin for purity. If it met his approval he would stamp his mark into the coin indicating to others it was pure and accurate weight. Today some collectors specialize in “Chop marked” coins. However, for many coins the chop marks may hurt the value.
Chrometophobia
- a fear of money phobia. Some types of money phobias like chrometophobia have to do with using money and making decisions with it. Other types of phobias such as Fear of Germs, Verminophobia, misophobia, mysophobia, Spermatophobia, and Germ Fear might be the real cause of someone being afraid of coins or paper money.
Chrematophobia
– another spelling for the “fear of money” type of phobia
circulation
- coins used in commerce to purchase items by the populace are in circulation. A circulated coin is one that has been used one time or often more. Coins that have any kind of wear from handling, etc are also considered circulated.
Clad
- Clad coinage is a term used to describe coins that have a core of one type of metal and an outer layer of another metal or metals. Most U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars since 1965 have been clad. Clad differs from a plated coin in that the clad blank (or planchlet) is treated to seal the layers of metal together. Also called sandwich or hamburger coins.
clad coin
- Coins that have a core (center layer) and outer layer made of different metals. (See bi-metallic clad or silver clad.)
coin
- object usually made of flat metal. Most often it is small and round. Issued by a government as money. Usually, accepted by the community as having value. See token.
coin cabinet
– see “cabinet”.
coin show
– see “show”.
coin trends
– see “trends”.
collar (sometimes misspelled as coller)
- when a coin is struck the collar on the printing press surrounds the rim of the coin preventing the metal from flowing outside of the collar. This maintains the width of the finished coin as an exact size.
Colonials
- coins produced by the colony states prior to the time the United States government was formed. Most were made of copper and in small denominations.
Commemorative
- a special coin or medal issued to honor an outstanding person, place, occasion or event. Often commemorative coins are a one time or short lived production. Many times commemorative coins are not produced for general circulation.
Condition
- The physical state of a coin or medal. Usually indicating the amount of wear. (See grading standards.)
contact mark
- a mark or marks on a coin that happened from coming in contact with another coin or object. Usually contact marks are small. Often this term is used to indicate marks on a coin that are not as obvious as bag marks. However, sometimes it is used to mean the same thing. See “abrasions”, “bag mark”, or “gouges”.
copper nickel
- A metal alloy of 88% copper and 12% nickel. This alloy was used for US Flying Eagle and Indian cents from 1856 to the middle of 1864. The alloy caused these small cents to have a pale copper color. Back then people called these cents “white cents” because of their pale color. A few other countries have used some copper nickel alloys of various percentages in their coin production. “Cupro-nickel” is a similar term. See “cupro nickel”.
coppers
- nick name for older copper coins, particularly the large cents, and half cents.
Copy
- refers to a reproduction of a coin or paper note. Some copies may be illegal. Current government regulations require reproductions of US coins and paper money to be much larger or smaller than the original. For copies of tokens and non-US-government coins the “hobby protection act” requires that the item contains the word “copy” or “reproduction” in a readable visible place. Advice: Don’t get caught making a copy of something without finding out exactly what is legal.
Corrosion
- chemical reaction on the surface of a coin. Corrosion can result from a coin coming in contact with other things (chemicals) including chemicals in the air. This can come about because of
things coming in contact with the coin years earlier. Corrosion damages a coins surface and is usually worse in copper, nickel, zinc, and silver coins. Some experts think that toning on the surface of a coin may help slow down this harmful process. Also see “toning”.
Counterfeit
- a coin or piece of currency that is fake or reproduced in order to make people think it is genuine.
counter mark (countermark)
- an impression, mark, or stamp put on a coin to verify it’s use by another. Sometimes done by governments when a monetary revaluation occurs.
Crackout
- coin that is cracked out of its plastic holder. Usually refers to coin removed from a grading service holder.
Crown
- a large size silver coin. Usually from Great Britain or a former British country.
Cud
- cattle ranchers have one definition for cud. Coin collectors have a different one. When a coin is struck by a broken die the place where the die is broken or missing will often show up as extra metal on the surface of a coin. This extra piece of metal or “cud” can be from a piece of the die being missing or a still intact, but moved.
Cull
- a coin that is less desirable compared to other coins in a roll, tube, or group. Sometimes used to mean a very slick, worn, or defective coin. To “Cull-it-out” – means to separate a coin from others in a roll or group, because of its defects or low grade.
cupro-nickel
– a mixture of copper, nickel, and possibly other metals. Today this term
is most often used to refer to the current coins made by fusing layers of copper and nickel or combination alloy mixtures, resulting in a “sandwich” type of coin. The current US dimes and Quarters are examples. Technically the copper nickel cents, three cent nickels, and regular nickels are cupro-nickel. See “copper nickel”.
Currency
- any kind of coins or paper money that is used as a medium of exchange.
- D “
D mint mark
- mintmark used to designate that the coin was struck at the US mint in “Denver Colorado”. Between 1838 and the civil war the “D” mint mark was used by the US mint in Dahlonega Georgia.
DCAM
– see “Deep Cameo”.
Damaged
-A damaged coin would be one that has had something happen to it to cause a defect. Examples would be: holes, bent, major nicks, corrosion, scratches, mutilation. Usually makes the coin worth much less than one without any defects.
Denomination
- different values of coins or currency. For example US coins currently have 6 different denominations: cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar.
deep cameo
- describes the appearance of some proof coins. A coin with a cameo design will have a somewhat frosted appearance to the
raised features of the design, with a polished or mirror like background (field). Deep cameo means this frosted cameo effect is very obvious. Often, a proof with this attribute will be of higher quality and may be rarer, particularly in older proof coins
Denticles
- small tooth like raised areas around the edge of a coin. Particularly on older coins. Often found all around the front (obverse) and back (reverse) of the coin, right next to the edge.
Designer
- artist who creates the design. Not the engraver (who actually makes the coin producing dies). Although, in years past some designers were also engravers.
Die
- an engraved metal stamp used for stamping out the design of a coin. The die is often hardened so that when it strikes the metal blank an impression will be left indicating the coins design, value, and wording. See “anvil die” and “hammer die”.
die clash
- damage to a coin die that occurs when the top and bottom dies collide without a coin in the press. The dies will may hit each other with such force that they damage each other leaving a trace of the impression on one or both dies. Resulting coins produced may exhibit “clash marks”. Clash marks will show some of the reverse design on the obverse side of the coin, some of the obverse design on the reverse, or both.
die defect
- damage or defect of a coin die. The coins produced by that die will exhibit the same defects.
die variety
- an alteration in the basic design of a coin. Comes from slight differences in the designs on the dies used to stamp coins.
Disme
- a French term meaning one tenth. The US term for a tenth of a dollar, a dime, traces its roots back to this term. The term was Americanized and the s was dropped.
Doubloon
– nick name given to a popular Spanish gold coin.
Doubloon
- nick name given to a popular Spanish gold coin. Often associated with pirates and buried treasure.
double die
- a coin that shows numbers or letters doubled. Caused by the coin die having been made with a doubled design on parts of it.
double dime
- nickname for the United States 20 cent piece coin made during the mid-late 1800’s. ruicenea coin that shows numbers or letters doubled.
double eagle
- used to describe a twenty dollar gold piece, the likes of those made between 1850 and 1932. Called a double eagle because the gold content was twice that of an “eagle” $10 gold piece. Double Eagle gold pieces contain “almost” an ounce of gold
double edge lettering
- describes and error found on some US Presidential dollar coins. The date, motto, and mintmark are impressed into the coin edges of presidential dollar after the coins are minted by running them through an edge lettering machine. When run through the edge lettering machine twice some of the edge letters will be doubled.
“ E ”
eagle
- nick name for the old gold $10 coins made up until 1932. These older gold coins contained “almost” 1/2 ounce of gold and featured an eagle design on the back. Note: the “eagle” gold coin is different than the new AMERICAN EAGLE gold bullion coin. See “American Eagle”.The eagle term is also used in reference to the US Silver 1 ounce coins currently minted by the US government mint. They are often called “silver eagle coins”.
Edge
- the side of the coin. Currently US dimes and quarters have a “reeded” edge, which is an edge with small lines on it. Some coins will have lettering, ornamental designs, or plain edges. The new Presidential Dollar coins have an edge lettering.
edge lettering
- letters or designs made on the side edge of a coin. Most modern day coins have plain or reeded edges. Example of edge lettering is the old Capped Bust Half dollar coins. Sometimes called edge device. See new Presidential US dollar coin series for a modern example.
E-gold
– an electronic way of purchasing, owning, and storing gold.
Eisenhower dollar
- United States dollar made from 1971 to 1978. Sometimes called “Ike” dollars because of the portrait of President/General Dwight D Eisenhower. Ike dollars did not see a lot of use in commerce, partially because of there large silver dollar size. Although made of clad (nickel and copper), there were some special versions made of 40% silver sold by the mint to collectors.
electrotype
- a reproduction of a coin or object. Sometimes used in museums. Produced using an electro-deposition process.
Engraver
- an artist who creates a coin’s design as a model or sculpture. In earlier days the engraver would actually cut out the design onto the die. The engraver may not necessarily be the designer or artist who conceptualized the coin.
Exergue
- bottom portion of a coin’s design. Normally separated by a line and sometimes containing a date (year) or other information.
error coin
- a coin that has some type of production defect on it. The difference between a coin error and a coin variety is that an error is considered a “mistake” that escaped the quality control of the US mint inspectors. Modern production procedures attempt to keep error coins from being released. US Presidential dollar errors have been found with plain edge errors and double edge lettering. Double edge lettering exists as overlapped edge lettered errors and inverted edge lettered errors.
extra fine
- Coin grading term indicating a coin with wear on the higher points. Most details of the coin design are visible and readable. Sometimes called extremely fine.
“ F ”
face value
- the exchange value for which a coin is intended to be spent or exchanged. Example: A US quarter’s face value, or spendable value, is
25 cents. Note that if a coin is silver (or a rare date) the collector value or silver content may be worth more than the face value. Face Value is Not its collector or precious metal value. It is a coin’s spendable value.
fair
- A very heavily worn coin. Date may only be partially visible. One of the lowest grades of a coin, F-2.
fiat money
- currency or coin that looses it’s value, retaining no substantial backing. Suggested reading – “Fiat Money Inflation in France”
filler
- a coin used to “fill in” the place in a collection until a better grade coin can be found or purchased to take its place. Often a low grade or damaged coin may be used as a filler until a nice one can be found.
field
- the background surface of a coin not used for the design or inscription. Often the field is flat and may not have any design to it.
fine
- Fine is a medium grade coin. It corresponds to F-12 and F-15 of the current accepted grading standards.
fine gold
- the purity of a gold coin or metal. (See fineness below.) A .999 fine gold coin is about as pure a gold coin as you can get. .999 fine gold means the item is 99.9% pure solid gold. .999 fine silver would be 99.9% pure silver. Most US silver coins minted up through 1964 were .90 fine, or 90% pure silver.
fineness
- the purity of a coin, medal, or precious metal item. Uses a scale of 0 to 1.000. Examples: A silver coin with fineness of .999 would be as pure as a coin can be. A silver coin with fineness of .500 would be made of 50% silver. Most 1964 and earlier US silver coins were .900 fine, or 90% pure silver.
First Spouses
- gold coins issued by the US government mint beginning in 2007. Four gold coins produced each year depicting the spouses of the Presidents of the United States. These “first lady” gold coins are sometimes called “presidential wives” or 1st spouses gold coins.
flan
- a planchet or coin blank. (Coin that has not yet been stamped with the coin’s design.)
floral edge
- design on the edge of a coin that looks like flowers or tulip bulbs laid on their side in a row. Found on some older coins like the Pillar dollars. Edge designs were more common on gold and silver coins years ago. Having a design on a coin’s edge prevented unscrupulous people from shaving off some of the silver or gold. Any filing of the edge would be noticeable, because the edge lettering would be missing.
Franklin Half dollar
- Franklin Half dollars are sometimes called Liberty Bell halves because of the Liberty bell design on the reverse. The United States government made the Benjamin Franklin Half dollar from 1948 to 1963. Large numbers of them were melted during the big silver meltdowns of the late 1900’s.
friction
- A frontiersman might rub two sticks together and the result is a fire. The rubbing of a coin can result in a wear on its surface. Typically, friction causes various degrees of noticeable wear and results in lowering the desire (and value) of a coin. Friction can be caused by a coin sliding in a holder, coin drawer, or even by a good intending collector who tries to “clean” the coin.
frosted proof
- a proof coin that has a mirror like surface in the background with a frosted (or dull) surface on the design. Proofs prior to 1937 and again
beginning in the 1970’s have frosted designs. Sometimes occurs in other years although not as often. Some frosted proof coins will bring a premium price.
full bell lines
- describes a very well detailed US Franklin Half Dollar reverse. See FBL for more about full bell line Franklin halves.
“ G ”
Gem
– a coin with unusually high quality.
Gem BU
–Means GEM quality Brilliant Uncirculated coin. Indicates that this uncirculated coin shows mint brilliance and is extremely attractive for the type of coin. Some might say it sparkles like a “GEM”.
Genuine
– Authentic. Minted by the issuing country.
Gold Eagle
- Gold Eagle coins were first minted by the United States government in 1986. Today several sizes of gold eagle coins are made: 1/10 oz, fourth ounce, half oz. and one ounce coins. Sometimes these coins are called “American Eagles”, GE, or AGE.
gold price
– the price of gold per troy ounce or kilogram.
goloid
- an alloy of silver, gold and copper. Goloid was a metal coin alloy proposed and patented by Dr. William Wheeler Hubbell in 1877. A
goloid coin would contain about 3-4% gold, 9% copper and mostly silver.
gouges
- heavy marks on a coin where the metal was gouged out from coming in contact with an abrasive or rough surface. Worse than contact markings or minor post mint damage.
grade
- a rating or clarification that indicates how much wear a circulated coin has. Grades can also indicate the degree of perfection for uncirculated coins.
grading standards
– a set of criteria indicating how much wear a coin shows.
gram
- Metric system of measuring weights. Approximately 31.1 grams in one (1) troy ounce. Abbr. =gm.
granular
- used to describe a porous appearance or surface, often visible under slight magnification. A granular appearance can be the result of many factors, such as oxidation of the metal, exposure to moisture, or chemicals intentionally or accidentally exposed to the coin.
“ H ”
half eagle
- another name for a United States $5.00 gold coin. (See eagle and double eagle.)
hub
- coin production term used to refer to a reverse design that is used to make the x dies that strike the coins.
hairline scratches
- very light lines or faint scratches on the surface of a coin. Sometimes caused by light cleaning or polishing.
hairlines
- very light lines or scratches on the surface of a coin. Sometimes caused by faint cleaning or light polishing.
hamburger coin
- Clad coins were first minted in the USA in 1965. Clad coins have a center-layer that is a different colored material than top and bottom layers.
hammer die
- top die. The hammer die is the top die that is placed on top of the coin blank and struck. Years ago this was done with a hammer. See “anvil die” and “die”.
hammered coins
- coins minted by hammering the dies together. A coin blank was inserted between two coin dies and struck with a hammer-like tool. This minting method (hammering coins) was in use for centuries.
head
- the obverse or front of most coins. Usually with a portrait of someone, but not always present on every coin.
heavy gold electroplate
- heavy gold electroplate is in reality a very thin layer of gold placed on the surface of a coin or object by means of electroplating. Often gives the appearance of solid gold. Although heavier than typical electroplating, heavy gold electroplate is still very thin, often amounting to much less than
1% gold on the total object. Sometimes abbreviated as HGE.
“ I ”
incuse
- the part of a coin’s design that is pressed into the surface. Opposite of relief. Example: the $2 1/2 and $5 Indian US gold coins are incuse design. Rather than the design being raised up off of the surface of the coin, it is pressed into the metal. See “reeded edge” and “lettered edge”
ingot
– see “bars”
Ike dollar
- see Eisenhower dollar
inscription
– the words stamped (or written) on a coin.
intrinsic value
- the value of the precious metal that a coin is made of. Often called “bullion value”. Not to be confused with “face value”.
inverted date
-normally a coin error where the date is punched into a coin die backwards or upside down. The result is that all coins minted from that coin die will show the date mistake. Often the mint employee will try to cover up their mistake by re-punching the same die correctly. The result may be called an overdate error, where one numeral is stamped over another.
inverted edge lettering error
-“Inverted” edge lettering means that the second set of edge
letters are “upside down” when compared with the first set of edge letters. Also see “overlapped edge lettering”.
investment grade
-used to indicate a high grade of coin that might make a good investment.
iron dollar
-nickname for a US silver dollar. The “iron” dollar terminology was primarily used in northeastern USA. This uncomplimentary phrase was used by people who disliked carrying silver dollars due to their heavy weight.
” J “
junk silver
- silver coins of circulated quality. Often used to describe bags of coins or common United States silver coins that were pulled out of circulation when silver coinage was disappearing. Does not mean the coins are damaged. Junk silver rolls or bags usually will not contain scarce dates, low mintages, or high quality coins.
- K “
keel boat
- United States five cent nickel issued in 2004. Features a picture of the keel boat that Lewis and Clark used on their expedition. Captains Lewis and Clark can be seen in full uniform in the bow of the keel boat.
Kennedy Half
- US Half dollars first minted in 1964. Design depicts former President John F. Kennedy on the obverse. The first year of Kennedy 50 cent coins, 1964, were made of 90% silver. Kennedy halves (made of copper nickel clad) continue to be minted today.
key date
- a scarce date that is often hard to find to complete a collection. Usually more difficult to find, of lower mintage, or more expensive.
Kilogram
- one thousand grams. Equals about 32.15 troy ounces. Also see “gram”.
” L “
Laureate
– coin design of a head crowned with a laurel wreath.
Luster
-a frosty and shiny appearance found on some uncirculated (mint state) coins.
legal tender
- coins, paper money, or other currency issued by a government and used as money. The legal tender value of a coin is the value placed on it by the government. It may be different than the intrinsic value (bullion value) or collector value.
Legend
- the main lettering on a coin or paper money. For instance the phrase “United States of America”.
lettered edge
– The edge of a coin that has lettering on the outside of it. Usually
it is raised, but sometimes incused. (Also see edge lettering.) Most coins today have a plain edge or “reeded” edge. Having something inscribed or a design on the edge of a coin was prevalent when coins were made of precious metals such as gold or silver.
Liberty Head
- term used to indicate a design on the face of coins similar to the Statue of Liberty in the United States. Many different US coins have a Liberty Head design, in fact.
logo punch
- metal coin punch (usually a number). Used by mint employees to punch numbers (the year of issue) into coin dies.
Lynn Coins
- internet coin shop catering to the coin collector.
- M “
Matte
- describes a coin’s surface. A matte finish often appears to be slightly grainy or has a slight “sandblasted” texture or appearance.
matte proof
- matte proof coins are special proofs that have a granular or “hazy” appearance on the surface.
Medal
- Like the Olympic Medals made for athletes during the Olympic Games. This is an object made of metal that resembles a coin or coin-like design. Often medals are made or given to recognize a person, place, or occasion.
medium of exchange
- something accepted by people as having a certain value that is used to exchange or trade. Often coins and paper money are used as mediums of exchange for goods or services, but this is more common with regular circulated currency rather than collections or rare coins.
mercury dime
- nick name for the US 10 cent pieces made between 1916 and 1945. Although originally called the Winged Liberty Head dime, the name “mercury” dime caught on with the public when it was compared to the Roman god “mercury”.
Milky
- describes the appearance on the surface of a coin that is whited out or faded, maybe hazy looking on the surface.
milled edge
– coin production process that produces the edge of the coin itself.
Mint
- place where coins are produced (manufactured). The U.S. Mint produces most coins for the U.S. government in Philadelphia and Denver, but mint facilities in San Francisco and West Point (United States) are used to produce some of the Proof sets and commemorative coin series.
mint luster
- a frosty, satiny, unique shine found on uncirculated and high grade coins. Mint luster gradually disappears as a coin receives wear. mint mark
- a small letter on a coin that identifies which of the U.S. Mints the coin was produced at. Some other coins will also use mint marks to distinguish the specific minting facilities where their coins are struck. A US coin with no mint mark means it was usually minted at the Philadelphia US minting facility.
mint proofing piece
– ingots of high purity gold used by the mint to mix with and melt
together with gold that was less than 90% pure. The purpose of melting it with less than pure gold was to bring up the gold content to .900 fine, in order for the gold to be made into coins. Mint proofing pieces were also used in making batches of silver bullion a higher purity. In the 19th century the US government mints served as places where gold and silver could be exchanged for paper money and coins.
mint set
- a complete set of coins produced by a particular mint (contains one of each denomination). Mint sets usually contain “uncirculated” non-proof coins.
mint state
– uncirculated
mintage
- the number of coins produced (the quantity made for that country, date, mintmark, and type of coin)
Morgan dollar
- United States silver dollar made during some of the years 1878 to 1921. Originally called the “Liberty Head” silver dollar. It developed the nickname “Morgan” dollar after the US mint engraver George T. Moran, who designed it.
Morgan coin
- this term was used to identify “Barber” dimes, quarters and half dollars minted in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Although designed by Charles E Barber these Liberty Head silver coins were not designed by Morgan. (Morgan designed the silver dollar.) Because they circulated at the same time as the Morgan Dollar and had some similarity in features to the Morgan dollar, people often incorrectly called them “Morgans”.
Motto
- a saying, phrase, or principle sometimes found on a coin. Example: “In God We Trust”, and “E Pluribus Unum”-meaning: Out of many, are one
MS69
The attribute “MS” is an abbreviation for “mint state”.
Mylar
- a brand name for a clear trademark polyester material used to store coins. Similar to clear polyester film. Often cardboard 2×2 coin holders have a clear mylar window in the center of them.
- N “
national parks quarters
- name for the US 25 cent coin series began in 2010. Each year five different national parks designs are placed on United States Washington quarters.
national parks coins
- another name for the US 25 cent coin series started in 2010. Sometimes abbreviated as NPC or PC.
Nickel
- nick name for the US five cent piece. Although only 25% of the five cent piece is made of the metal nickel it gives the appearance that it is solid nickel. The nick name “nickel” came about due to its appearance of being made of the metal nickel. It is actually made of a mixture of copper (about 75%) and nickel (about 25%).
non-circulating legal tender
- non-circulating legal tender means coins or paper money that are valid and acceptable by the country that issued them, however
because of age, collect-ability, or other factors they are not used or found in commerce.
numismatist
- a coin collector. Often used to indicate someone who is a serious coin hobbyist or one who studies an area of coin collecting.
Numismatic Guarantee Corporation
- a third party grading service that certifies and grades coins. One of the most popular and well respected independent coin grading companies. Often called NGC. Similar to PCGS.
Numismatic News
- One of the most popular coin publications in the USA. This newspaper-type publication is reasonably priced and is issued weekly. Contains coin collecting articles about US and world coins, with a major focus on US coins. Advertisements from major coin dealers are included in each weekly issue.
Numismatics
- hobby and study of coin collecting. It may also include paper money and things used as money, as well as similar things such as medals, ornaments and tokens.
” O “
Oddity
- when something unusual happens to a coin it is sometimes called an oddity. Can be an “error” that was made at the mint, or something that was done to a coin after the minting of the coin.
Obsolete
– a coin design or coins series that is no longer being produced.
Obverse
- the front side of a coin. Usually the obverse side of a coin has the main design, date (year of issue), and sometimes a mintmark. Sometimes called the “heads” side of a coin because many coins have a person’s portrait or head design on the obverse. The back of the coin is called the reverse.
off center , or off-center (strike)
- describes the way a coin was struck by the printing dies. If the coin was not placed properly and the dies strike it off center then parts of the design will be missing from the coin. Sometimes an off-center coin will have part of the blank planchlet showing and part of the coin design showing.
original roll
- a group of coins that were wrapped in paper wrappers at the time of their production. In early days coins were shipped to banks in cloth bags or kegs. Sometimes later they were shipped in rolls. Silver coins stored in rolls will often have toning on and near the edges but not in the center.
Ounce
- form of measuring weight. The troy ounce that is used for weighing precious metals is different from the regular grocery store ounce.
overlapped edge lettering error
- a Presidential dollar coin that shows double edge letters on the side. Presidential $ coins have the date, mintmark, and US motto’s impressed into the coin’s edge. During production, when accidentally run through an edge lettering machine twice a coin will show double lettering on the side. “Overlapped” edge lettering means the error letters are facing the same direction as the first impression of the letters. See “inverted edge lettering” for and explanation of upside down edge lettering.
over strike or overstrike
– a coin that instead of being struck on a blank planchlet was
accidentally struck on a previously struck coin. The result is the coin design pressed into the blank coin planchet twice. In rare occurrences an overstrike can be one type of coin struck over another type of coin. For example, a cent design struck on the top of a dime. This type of coin error is often somewhat scarce or rare.
” P “
PCGS
– See the “Professional Coin Grading Service”.
Pattern
- a coin that was struck as an experiment or as a trial piece. Usually, of a new design or made of experimental metal alloys. U.S. Pattern coins from recent years are illegal to own because they are still considered government property.
parks quarters
- United States quarters series issued beginning in 2010 to commemorate US National Parks. Sometimes abbreviated as PQ, for parks quarters and NPQ for National Parks Quarters.
peace dollar
- United States silver dollar made during the years 1921 to 1935. This design was first minted after World War II, and has the word “peace” on the reverse. Hence the nick-name “peace” dollar caught on. Made of 90% pure silver and weighing a little less than an ounce. Peace silver dollars contain about 77% of an ounce of pure silver.
peace medal
- a U.S. five cent coin featuring a design similar to the original Indian Peace Medal commissioned for the Lewis and Clark’s expedition. It
depicts two symbols of peace and friendship in the center: hands shaking and crossed peace pipes.
Penny
- a small denomination coin usually made of copper. In some countries the penny is one-hundredth of a larger denomination.
Pennyweight
- a penny weight is a means of weighing precious metals. Comes from the British weight system. There are 20 pennyweights in a troy ounce.
plain edge
- a coin that does not have reading or lettering on the edge. Example, the US one cent and nickel coins. Plain edge errors can occur when the edge is not supposed to be plain edge, as with the minting of Presidential dollars coins as well. Two types of Presidential double edge lettered errors exist, overlapped errors and inverted errors. See those terms earlier in this index.
Planchet or planchlet
- a blank round piece of metal from which the coin is struck. A planchet or coin blank is a coin before the design is added to it during the minting process.
Platinum
- a precious metal rarer than gold! Metallic silver-like in color. Hard to find but very valuable!
Population or pop
–Used in reference to the population, or number, of coins graded or certified by a grading service for a specific date or mintmark.
PR69
-The attribute “PR” is an abbreviation for “proof”. The numbers that follow (in this example 69) indicate the quality of the coin.
The quality numbers run from 1 to 70, with a 70 being an absolutely prefect coin. See related topic- ” MS69 “.
precious metal
- metals of value. Typically gold, silver, platinum. However, can include palladium and rhodium.
Presidential Dollars
- Series of United States Dollar coins beginning in the year 2007. Four $ coins are to be issued each year honoring the Presidents of the United States. Coins are produced for circulation (P+D mint marks), as well as proof versions sold in sets to collectors.
Presidential Wives
- another name given for the First Spouses gold coins issued by the United States government mint beginning in 2007.
price guide
- coin collecting book that lists typical selling prices of coins in various grades.
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)
- one of the most popular and respected independent coin grading services in the USA. For a fee they will grade, certify a coin as genuine, and seal it in a protective capsule type display holder.
Proof
- a coin produced from polished dies and/or planchlets. Most often each proof coin is struck twice/or more which gives the coin a very sharp degree of detail and mirror like surface. Proof coins are usually made for numismatic purposes, presentations, or souvenirs. Proofs are usually not made to circulated in commerce.
proof gold
- same thing as “proof silver” below, only made of pure gold. Also see “mint proofing piece”.
proof set
- a group of the different denominations of the proof coins made for one year. Sometimes packaged as a set by the mint. Example: One of each proof: cent, nickel, dime, quarter, and half. Occasionally there will be some coins that are not included in the proof sets.
proof silver
- unlike a similar term “proof silver coins” which indicates that a silver coin is in proof condition, “proof silvers” refer to samples of pure silver. These are used to test and make comparisons during the coin assaying process.
proofing piece
– see “mint proofing piece”
Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
- a substance put in plastic to add softness and clarity to the material. Over time PVC has been found to Leach out and damage coins. DO
NOT USE Plastic holders that contain PVC.
- Q “
Quarter
– a coin valued at one fourth of a dollar. The US 25 cent coin.
quarter eagle
– United States $ 2.50 gold coin. Ten dollar gold coins of yester-year were nick- named “eagle” gold coins, because of the eagle reverse design. The nickname is still used today. See “double eagles”.
” R “
Rare
- a coin or collectible that is very limited in availability. Can also mean that there are few in existence, very limited availability, or that the item is very uncommon. A rare does not necessarily mean a coin is very valuable.
Raw
- means the coin has not been certified, slabbed or encapsulated by a coin grading service.
rabbit coins
- Minted in 1999. First year of a series of animal coins minted in Australia. 1999 was the Chinese lunar “Year of the Rabbit”. Silver and gold rabbit coins were minted to celebrate this special year.
real or reales
- Spanish money used primarily prior to the 1800’s. (Sometime pronounced “ree-owl”.) Spanish real silver coins were popular in the American colonial days.
Red Book
- A price guide book on US coins and their values by R.S. Yeoman. Also called the Official Guide to United States Coins.
reeded edge
- The edge of a coin that has small reed like groove lines on it. Today’s US dimes and quarters are examples of reeded edge coins. Today’s pennies and nickels have a plain edge, not a reeded edge.
relief
- the part of the design that is raised from the surface of the coin field (background).
repaired
- a coin or currency note that has been fixed to look like nothing has been wrong with it. The repair being done to fix damage, a hole or defects. The seller’s description should mention that the coin was repaired. Often repaired coins will bring less than a coin (of equal grade) that has never had anything wrong with it, but sell for more than a fully damaged coin. The key point being, that the buyer needs to know about anything that was done to the coin in order to make a fair judgment when making a purchase decision.
replica
- a coin copy or reproduction. Sometimes called a copy of facsimile. Resembles the original in design. For a replica of a US coin or currency to be legally sold in most countries it must meet certain governmental criteria. One point being that it must have the word “copy”, “replica”, or “facsimile” plainly visible.
restrike (re-strike)
- a coin minted from original dies, however at a later date than originally intended.
reverse
- the back side of the coin. Sometimes called the “tails” side of the coin, because in many years there was an eagle design with it’s tail feather’s showing. Opposite of obverse or heads side of the coin.
reverse proof
- proof coins normally have a mirror like background (field) and a frosty or regular raised design. A reverse proof will have a mirror like raised design and a frosty or normal appearance to the coins background.
riddler
- a machine used in the minting process that sorts out wrong size/defective blanks (planchlets).
rim
- the raised edge of a coin created by the upsetting mill. The idea being that if the edge on both sides of the coin is raised like the design it will help protect the coins design from wear.
roll
- a group of coins in the same denomination in a paper wrapper package by banks, dealers, or the US Mint. Sometimes a coin rolls are put into a plastic coin tube. The number of coins in a roll depend on the denomination. For US Cents there are typically 50 coins in a roll, nickels- 40, dimes- 50, quarters- 40, halves- 20, dollars- 25.
rounds
– coin shaped silver pieces. Not official legal tender.
rust
- rust is an oxidizing reaction causing the surface of a metal coin to corrode or decay. US pennies (cents) minted during World War 2 (in 1943) were made of zinc plated steel. Once the zinc plating wore off, the coin surface became exposed to the air and often rusted. Other coins, such as copper and even silver are subject to similar oxidation when exposed to air, moisture, or environmental chemicals.
rust spot
- Reddish or rust color spots can appear on gold coins, as well as coins made of other metals. Spotting can be from something on the surface of the coin or actually from impurities in the coin’s metal.
- S “
SBA
– See Susan B. Anthony dollar coin.
Sacagewea dollars
- United States small dollar coins with a design of the Indian Sacagewea on the obverse. Reverse depicts an eagle in flight. First year of mintage was in the year 2000.
Saint-Gaudens
- Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a well know artist and coin designer of the early 1900’s. Perhaps his most famous coin design is the US $20 gold piece last minted in 1933. Depicting a standing “Liberty walking toward you”, this US twenty dollar coin has been honored as one of the best US coin designs from the last century.
sandwich coin
– nick name for clad coins that were first made in the US in 1965.
seller fees
- fees imposed on the seller when auctioning coins or selling them on consignment. Also see buyers fees.
series
- collection of coins of one denomination that contains all the dates and mint marks of that design. For example a Lincoln Cent Wheat back series would contain one of each date cent minted from 1909 to 1958.
show
- to display or show a group of coins. Coin shows (or bourses) occur often in many areas. There dealers may set up tables to display their inventory in an attempt to sell, buy, or trade coins with the public and / or other dealers.
silver Clad
- term referring to US Half Dollars made from 1965 to 1970. Made with an outer layer of 80% silver and 20% copper bonded to an inner core of 20.9% silver and .791% copper. Overall 40% silver.
silver eagle
- nickname given to one ounce United States “Silver” dollars made from 1986 to the present. Design is of a walking liberty on the obverse (front) and eagle on the reverse.
silver price
- the value of silver in the commodity market. Usually refers to the market price of one “troy ounce” of silver.
site unseen
- an offer to purchase a coin at a certain price without seeing the item. Although site unseen bids are common, the coin will still have to meet the grading criteria from the bidder’s perspective.
slab or slabbed
- slang term for a holding device for a coin that has been encapsulated by a coin grading service. Usually, the coin will graded, authenticated, and encapsulated in a sonically sealed holder, often by a 3rd party grading service. See PNG, NCG, ANACS, PCGS.
slab
- term used to identify a hard plastic encapsulation method that some coin grading services use to package/protect a coin. Usually a slabbed coin is graded and certified by the grading service.
slider
-a term meaning the coin simulates a higher grade than it really is. Often a slider has been cleaned, treated, or whizzed to give the appearance of being uncirculated. Worth less than the coin that has not been cleaned or treated.
split grade
– a different grade for a coins front (obverse) and back (reverse).
spot
- the price quoted for large transactions of precious metal. These large metal bars are stored in a certified warehouse. The spot price does not
include broker commissions, shipping, postal insurance, etc. Spot prices may change by the minute during active trading.
spotting or spot
- a mark or marks on a coin of a different color. Often looking like spots of something on the coin. Usually, it is a form of tarnish or staining. Spotting may have a negative effect on the value of a coin depending on how severe it is, etc.
spread
- The difference in price between a dealer’s buy price and sell price. Example, someone might buy a coin for $30 and sell the same coin for $40. The coin’s spread would be 40-30, or $10.
state quarters
- The 50 State Quarter program was started in 1999 by the US government mint. 5 quarters were produced each year commemorating the joining of states to the United States of America. George Washington’s portrait was used for the obverse (front) of each coin. Quarters were issued in the order that states joined the union, through the final year in 2008. In 2009 the fifty state quarters program was replaced with quarters commemorating the US Territories and Washington DC (District of Columbia).
statehood quarters
– same as 50 “State Quarters”. Sometimes abbreviated as SHQ.
striation
- fine slightly raised lines on the surface of a coin. Often best seen with magnification and usually in the background of the coin’s design. Most often caused by polishing the coin die.
strike
- a process of stamping a design into a coin planchet (blank). Usually metal dies with designs engraved in them are used. If the dies are struck weakly or just average it may effect the coin’s value negatively vs. a well struck coin. Some U.S. mints were known for making weakly stuck coins during certain years.
Susan B. Anthony dollar
- The United States government made a silver dollar with Susan B. Anthony’s portrait in 1979 to 1981, and then again in one more year, 1999. These “SBA” dollars were short lived and saw little use in commerce.
sweating
- illegal process of removing gold or silver from the surface of a coin in order to repurosee or sell the yielded precious metal. This method was used during the times when precious metal coins circulated in everyday commerce. Sweaters would treat a coin (often a gold coin) in an acid bath to dissolve some of the surface of the coin. Later the dissolved gold would be removed from the solution and sold.
” T “
tail
– the reverse or back side of a coin
third party grading
- third party grading services will grade and/or certify coins as genuine. Often the coin will be encapsulated in a plastic holder (or slab) by the grading service to protect it. Called “third party” grading when the service is independent of any dealer or collector’s influence. They provide a grading opinion based on established criteria. Examples may include PCGS, NGC, and ANACS.
three cent piece, or three cent coin
- common term used for the US coin with the value of three cents. Two different metals were used for these coins back in the 1800’s. Prior to 1865 the US made three cent pieces out of an alloy of mostly silver. Hence the name “three cent silver”. The public complained because the 3 cent silvers were small and thin. By 1865 the US government changed the composition and design of the three cent coins.
thrip
– British term for the English three pence coin. See “trime”.
token
- Something that looks like a coin, but is not legal tender issued by an official government. For example, parking tokens, video game machine tokens, and casino tokens. Some coin collectors shy away from collecting tokens. However, there are a few small groups of serious token collectors.
toning
- Shading of color on coins. Toning can be in many forms from dark or brown to various shade of other colors. It can cover the whole coin or more often part of the coin. Toning results when the surface of the coin comes in contact with the air and environment it is exposed to.
trends
- a price guide section in a coin magazine or publication that lists current prices of coins. Often includes a + or – sign by a coin’s value, which indicates the change from the previous price list.
trime
- a nickname for the US three cent coin, made by the US mint in the 1800s. See “thrip”.
troy ounce
- a weigh to measure weight. Differs from a regular “grocery store” ounce.
turkey
- a sorry coin. One that is worse than it first appears. Also, used to mean something that won’t sell despite it’s appearance.
twenty cent piece
- a 20-cent coin issued by the United States government. Minted in the mid-late 1800’s this large copper coin circulated and had a face value of 20 cents. Sometimes call the “double-dime” in coin catalogs. After a number of years the US government decided to stop making 20 cent pieces due to their unpopularity and lack of use.
two bits
– see “bits”
two by two
- nickname for a typical holder for one coin. Measures 2 inches by 2 inches. Often made of cardboard with a clear mylar material in the center. Cardboard 2x2s are not the best way to store coins for the long term.
two cent piece
- a US coin with the value of two cents. Common term used for the copper Shield design two-cent coin made from 1864 to 1873.
type
- coins containing the same or a similar characteristic. Often in a type collection or set the dates do not matter. Rather the collector is interested in obtaining one of each representative design. For example a collector may want one of each “type” of coin in US circulation today. Such a type set would consist of a cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half, and dollar. A collector may decide to collect one representative of each type of coin by size. For example, a cent type set may include a Lincoln Memorial cent, wheat back cent, Indian cent, etc.
type set
- collection of coins of one denomination. For example, a Quarter type set would consist of one of each design of quarter that the mint has made. (Dates and mint marks usually are not of concern.)
” U “
Unc or unk or UN
– abbreviation for uncirculated.
uncirculated or un-circulated
- a new condition coin that does not have any sign of wear. Sometimes also called mint or mint condition. Marks on a coin that may come from the manufacturing process do not keep a coin from being un-circulated.
undergrading
- assigning a coin a grade lower than what is really is. This practice is sometimes used by the unscrupulous to attempt to purchase coins for less than what they are really worth.
unique coin
- a coin where there is only one coin like it in existence.
upsetting mill or upsetting machine
- machine used in coin production to raise the rim on both sides of a blank (planchet).
” V “
vest pocket dealer
- old timer’s term meaning a part time coin dealer. Someone who carries coins to sell/trade in their pockets.
variety or varieties
- A coin variety is typically something that all coins minted from a specific coin die will have. See also, error coins
vest pocket dealer
- someone who trades in coins but does not have a coin shop or store, and does not set up at coin shows.
” W “
waffle
- government process used to destroy defective coins. Coins are run through a metal waffling machine that defaces the coin so that it can be used for scrap metal. This often leaves the coin unrecognizable. The term waffle comes from the waffle like wavy surface left on the metal wafer.
walker
– nick name for the “Walking Liberty Half dollar”.
walking liberty
- a half dollar with the Walking Liberty design. Made between 1916 and 1947. Thought by some to be one of the US most beautiful coin designs. The current “American Silver Eagles” have the same design on their obverse (front).
war nickel
- sometimes called “wartime” nickels. These Jefferson US five cent coins were made during part of World War II. At the time there was a concern that metal would be needed in the war effort.
wheat back cents
- United states one cent coins minted from 1909 and 1958. Nick named “Wheat Back Cents” or “wheat pennies” because the reverse of these
pennies shows a design with wheat straw near the edges. In 1959 the Wheat back Lincoln cent was replaced with the Lincoln memorial cent. white cents
– see “copper nickel.
Whitman
-Whitman Publishing company. Produces many collector’s books, albums, and collecting supplies.
whizzed
- a whizzed coin has been buffed or polished to give it the appearance of the luster found on a mint coin. Often whizzing is done on a high grade coin to try to sell the coin at a higher grade than it really is. Sometimes done by using a fine brush attachment on a high speed drill. Whizzing a coin may hurt the value of it rather than help it because it actually causes wear to the surface of the coin. See buffing.
” X “
There are no coin collecting terms that start with the letter X in our glossary.
” Y “
year
- sometime called the date on a coin. Example, 1990 on a coin most often would mean the coin was made in the year 1990. In a few instances US coins had years in Roman Numerals.
year set
- coin collection consisting of one of each kind (size and style) of coin issued by a country for a given year. (Mint marks are usually not of concern when collecting year sets.)
” Z “
There are no coin collecting terms in our dictionary that start with the letter Z.