A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

2x2 holders - Holders that are made in different sizes to hold coins.  They are made from cardboard and have a hole cut out to fit the coin and have a piece of Mylar plastic attached to help protect the coin.

A

Adjustment Marks - Marks caused by filing a planchet before striking to reduce its weight to the standard, as was sometimes done for early U.S. coinage

Aes - Bronze.

Album - A book-like holder with slots for storing coins.

Altered - Intentionally modified after the minting process.

Alloy - A combination of two or more metals in a coin such as cupro-nickel or cupro-zinc.

ANA - American Numismatic Association.

ANACS - Coin grading service. Originally owned by the ANA but sold to Amos Press.

Ancient - A coin produced prior to about 500 A.D.

Arrows - Or Arrows at date. In the 1800's, arrows were placed on both sides of the date to indicate a change in the weight of a coin.  Arrows and Rays describe a type where the coin had Arrows at the date and rays around the Eagle on the reverse.

Artificial Toning - Coloration added to a coin by treatment with chemicals or other "doctoring".

As - Bronze coin.

Assay - A test to ascertain the fineness and weight of a precious metal.

Attribute - A characteristic of a coin; v. To identify a coin by determining the country of origin, denomination, series, date, mintmark and (if applicable) variety.

Aureus - A gold coin.

Austrian 100 Corona - Restrike bullion gold coin containing .9802 ounce of gold.

Authentic/Authentication - An original, non-counterfeit coin; determination by an expert on whether or not a coin is authentic.

Avoirdupois - A system of weights for commodities except precious metals, stones, and drugs. One avoirdupois ounce equals 28.35 grams or 437.50 grains. See troy ounce.

B

Bag Marks - Small scratches and nicks resulting from movement of coins in the same bag (also known as contact marks or keg marks).

Bank Note - Paper money issued by a bank.

Bar - A non-numismatic form of precious metal bullion.

Bas Relief - Design elements are raised within depressions in the field.

Billon - An alloy of silver and another metal, usually copper, which is less than 50% silver.

Bi-Metallic - A coin or coin-like object combining parts composed of two different metal alloys, such as the Canadian two-dollar coin.

Bit - Pieces of eight were physically cut into eighths; each piece is one bit.

Blank - A piece of metal being prepared for coinage before passing has raised the rims through the upsetting mill.

Bourse - The area where coin dealers have their tables set up to buy and sell coins at a coin show.  Other wise known as the bourse floor.

Brilliant - Untoned (color as minted) surfaces of a coin.

Broadstrike/Broadstruck - A coin struck without a firmly seated collar, resulting in "spreading" outwards, but still showing all design details.

Brockage - A mirror image of the design from one side of a coin impressed on the opposite side - occasionally, a newly struck coin "sticks" to a die, causing the next coin struck to have a First Strike Mirror Brockage of the coin stuck to the die; by the second strike the mirror is distorted, and later strikes are termed Struck Through A Capped Die.

BU - Brilliant uncirculated, used to describe a coin in new condition.

Bullion - A coin or other object composed primarily of a precious metal, with little or no value beyond that of the metal.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing - An agency of the U.S. Treasury Department responsible for production of currency.

Business Strike - A coin minted with the purpose of circulating and being used as money.

C

Cameo - This term is used to describe the effect that a proof coin shows where the fields are mirrored and the portrait and lettering are frosted.

Canadian Maple Leafs - Modern bullion coins minted by the Royal Canadian Mint.

Cartwheel - The pattern of light reflected by flow lines of mint state coins, resembling spokes of a wheel; Name given to the British pennies and twopences of 1797 due to their unusually broad rims.

Certified Coin - A coin authenticated and graded by a professional service.

Cherrypick - To find and purchase a coin worth a premium over the seller's asking price (generally a rare die variety priced appropriately for a more common variety).

Chop Mark - A symbol added to money by someone other than the government, which issued it to indicate authenticity.

Circulated - Denotes money that is no longer in mint state, generally as a result of normal handling and exchange.

Clad - Composed of more than one layer, such as the copper-nickel over copper composition of U.S. dimes, quarters, and halves minted presently.

Clash Mark(s) - Outlines and/or traces of designs from the opposite side of a coin resulting from die clash.

Cleaning - Any process that removes foreign substances, corrosion or toning, e.g. application of solvents, dipping, and rubbing with abrasive materials or substances.

Cleaned Coin - While any coin subjected to a cleaning process could technically be considered cleaned, this term most commonly refers to those which have been abrasively cleaned (a coin which has been abrasively cleaned generally has a lower numismatic value than an otherwise comparable uncleaned specimen).

Clip - A coin, planchet or blank missing a portion of metal from its periphery, caused by an error during blank production; types of clips include curved (most common), ragged, straight, elliptical, bowtie, disk and assay.

Clipping - Deliberate shearing or shaving from the edge of gold and silver coins; patterns and mottos are included on edges to discourage the practice.

Coin - A piece of metal with a distinctive stamp and of a fixed value and weight issued by a government and used as money.

Coin of the Realm - A legal tender coin issued by a government, meant for general circulation.

Coin Show - An event where numismatic items are bought, sold, traded and often exhibited.

Collar - A device present in a coining press to restrict the outward flow of metal during striking and to put the design, if any, on the edge of the coin.

Collection - The numismatic holdings of an individual in total or of a particular type.

Colonial - A coin issued by any colony; frequently refers to those produced by European colonies in the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Commemorative - A coin with a design commemorating a person, place or event.

Condition Census - A list of the finest known specimens of a particular variety of coin.

Condition or Grade - POOR - FAIR, GOOD, VERY-GOOD, FINE, VERY-FINE, EXTREMELY-FINE and ABOUT UNCIRCULATED - terms describing the degree of wear or circulation a coin has experienced. An UNCIRCULATED coin has not yet been used as money in a business transaction and has not received any wear on the surface of the coin. An UNCIRCULATED coin can have marks on its surfaces due to handling at the mint and due to bulk shipping to banks.

Contact Marks - Small surface scratches or nicks resulting from movement of coins in the same bag or bin.

Counterfeit - An imitation of a coin or note made to circulate as if actually money; An altered or non-genuine coin made to deceive collectors, usually a more valuable date or variety.

Cud - A raised lump of metal on a coin caused by a piece of a die having broken off.

Cull - A coin that is extremely worn and/or damaged.

Cupro-Nickel (or Copper-Nickel) - Composed of an alloy of copper and nickel, as for example U.S. 5 cent coins (other than half dimes) and Canadian 5 cent coins produced since 1982.

Currency - Paper money.

D

Damage - Physical change to a numismatic item, such as a scratch, nick, ding, cleaning, hole or pitting.

Date - The year(s) shown on a coin, usually the same as the year it was minted.

Dealer - A person or company that regularly buys and sells numismatic collectibles.

Deep Mirror Prooflike (DMPL) - Having highly reflective mirrorlike fields, similar to a coin struck as a Proof.

Delamination - Metal missing or retained but peeling from the surface, due to incomplete bonding or impurities in the planchet.

Denarius - An ancient Roman silver coin weighing about 3 grams, roughly the same size as a U.S. dime but thicker.

Denomination - The face value of a coin.

Denticles - Tooth like raise features just inside the rim of some coins (also known as dentils).

Design - The devices, lettering, etc. appearing on a coin and their arrangement with respect to each other.

Designer - The creator of a coin design.

Device - A major design element, such as the bust of a person.

Die - A usually cylindrical piece of steel bearing at one end the incuse design of one side of a coin (except for coins with incuse detail, where the die details are in relief).

Die Chip - A small fragment broken off from a die; metal flowing into the resulting hole during striking results in a small raised lump on the surface of the coin.

Die Clash - Upper and lower dies coming together in a coin press without a planchet between them; design details may be partially impressed in the opposite dies and subsequently as mirror images on coins struck from the clashed dies.

Die Crack - A narrow fissure in the surface of a die; coins struck with such a die have a narrow raised line corresponding to the crack.

Die Erosion - Wear on a die from use in the minting process.

Die Flow Lines - see flow lines.

Die State - The condition of a die at a particular point in its life.

Die Polish - Small raised lines in the field of a coin resulting from polishing of a die to remove chips clash marks, etc.

Dipping - Cleaning by immersion in a liquid capable of removing molecules from the surface, such as a solution containing thiourea.

Disme - The original spelling of dime, 1/10 of a dollar.

Double Denomination - A rare error in which a previously struck coin is restruck by the die pair of another denomination.

Double Die - A dubious term sometimes intended to mean a doubled die coin and sometimes indicating machine doubling (because there is often a substantial difference in value between the two, a savvy buyer will be sure to determine which case is true for any coin described as such).

Doubled Die - A die with doubled device details, letters and/or numerals resulting from any of several possible differences between the multiple hub impressions during its manufacture; a coin struck from such a die.

Double Eagle - A U.S. gold coin with a face value of $20, first minted in 1849 and last officially minted in 1932.

Drachma - An ancient Greek silver coin weighing about 3 grams, roughly the same size as U.S. dime but thicker.

E

Eagle - A U.S. gold coin with a face value of $10, first minted in 1795 and last minted in 1933; also, the current U.S. $50 face value gold bullion coin.

Edge - The "third side" of a coin, encompassing the perimeter.

Engraver - The creator of a coin design, plaster and engraving over the steel.

E Pluribus Unum - "Out of many, one"; the motto on many U.S. coins.

Error - Any unintentional deviation in the minting process resulting in one or more coins with a different appearance than intended.

Exergue - The lower part of a coin or medal, usually divided from the field by a line and often containing the date, mintmark or engraver's initial(s).

Exonumia - Tokens, medals and other non-monetary coin-like objects.

Eye Appeal - Overall attractiveness (beauty is in the eye of the beholder).

F

Face Value - The ordinary monetary worth of a coin or note at the time of issue.

Field - The flat background on a coin, medal or token.

Filler - Usually a very low-grade coin, or one that has damage to it. The term filler came from the date set collectors where they could fill the hole in a coin album until a better grade coin could be obtained.

Fineness - The purity of a precious metal measured in 1,000 parts of an alloy: a gold bar of .995 fineness contains 995 parts gold and 5 parts of another metal. Example: the American Gold Eagle is .9167 fine, which means it is 91.67% gold. A Canadian Maple Leaf has a fineness of .999, meaning that it is 99.9% pure.

Fine Weight - The metallic weight of a coin, ingot, or bar, as opposed to the item's gross weight which includes the weight of the alloying metal. Example: a 1-oz Gold Eagle has a fine weight of one troy ounce but a gross weight of 1.0909 troy ounce.

Flan - British term for a planchet.

Flip - A soft plastic holder normally used for a single coin.

Flow Lines - Microscopic lines in the surface of a coin resulting from the outward flow of metal during striking.

Fiat Money - Money that is not backed by specie and is legal tender by decree.

Fractional Currency - Paper money with a face value of less than one dollar.

Fugio Cent - The first coin issued by authority of the United States, produced by contractors in 1787.

G

Galvano - An epoxy coated plaster relief model of a coin, token or medal created by electrodeposition (much larger than the dies later created from it).

Gold Eagles - Modern gold bullion coins.

Gold Standard - A monetary system based on convertibility into gold; paper money backed and interchangeable with gold.

Good Delivery: the specification that a bar of precious metal must meet in order to be acceptable for delivery at a particular exchange.

Grading - Grading is best described in my opinion, as trying to assign a number to the state of the coins preservation.  That is, telling how well the coin has been preserved from the time it was brand new at the mint. A perfect flawless coin is assigning the grade of MS-70, or Mint State 70.  A coin that can barely be identified is the lowest grade of Poor 1. So all coins should be able to fall some where between 1 and 70.  This is the hardest part to learn in the beginning and reading is a must along with viewing many, many coins in different grades.  Be patient with yourself and don't be afraid to ask why is this coin graded Very Good -8 instead of Good -6.

Grading Services - Companies that, for a fee, will grade your coin and put it in a special holder that helps to protect the coin. The three leading services are - PCGS, NGC and ANACS.

Grain - Earliest weight unit for gold. One troy ounce contains 480 grains.

Gram - The basic unit of weight of the metric system. (31.1035 grams = one troy ounce.)

Greysheet - The Coin Dealer Newsletter, a price guide for U.S. coins intended for dealer-to-dealer sight seen transactions.

H

Hairlines - Light scratches in the surface of a coin.

Half Cent - U.S. coin with a face value of 1/200th of a dollar first minted in 1793 and last minted in 1857.

Half Dime - U.S. coin with a face value of 5 cents issued with dates between 1794 and 1873; originally called a half disme.

Half Eagle - U.S. gold coin with a face value of $5 first minted in 1795 and last minted in 1929.

High Points - The highest part of a coin's design where the first signs of wear and tear generally appear.

Hobo Nickel - A coin (usually U.S. Buffalo nickel) physically altered to produce a substantially different image.

Holed - Having a hole drilled through it, usually as a result of being used for jewelry.

Holder - Any device designed for storage and sometimes display of numismatic items.

Hub - A steel bar used to make dies having the same raised design on one end as one side of the coins ultimately produced.

I

Impaired Proof - A proof coin with wear or damage resulting from circulation or other handling.

Incuse - The opposite of relief design elements are impressed into the surface.

Intrinsic Value - The value of a coin's metal content.

 

J

 

K

Karat - A measure of the purity of a precious metal. Pure gold is 24 karat.

Key Date - Generally one of the most expensive coins in a series due to the coin being scarce or rare.  This is usually one of the harder coins to get because of high demand or low mintage.

Kilo Bar - A bar weighing one kilogram. (32.1507 troy ounces)

Kilogram - 1,000 grams (32.1507 troy ounces).

Koala - Australian platinum coin, minted since 1987, .995 fine.

Krugerrand - South African gold coin.

L

Lamination Flaw - See delamination.

Large Cent - A U.S. coin with a value of 1 cent, minted from 1793 to 1857, composed primarily of copper and larger in diameter than the current U.S. quarter. A similar Canadian coin issued between 1858-1920.

Legal Tender - Money that may be legally offered in payment of an obligation and that a creditor must accept.

Legend - Lettering on a coin other than the denomination or nation which issued it.

Lettered Edge - Used on early US coinage and indicates that the edge of a coin was lettered.  Usually with the amount indicated. Example: Fifty Cents or Half a Dollar.

Loonie - Popular name for the Canadian loon dollar coin first issued in 1987.

Loupe - A type of magnifying glass used by numismatists and jewelers.

Luster - The brilliance of a coin, resulting from reflection of light off die flow lines.

M

Machine Doubling - Doubling of details resulting from loose dies during striking (generally considered to have no numismatic value).

Mail Bid - An auction format in which bids are submitted by mail; the highest offer for each lot received by the closing date wins the lot (several other rules usually apply).

Market Value - The price at which a coin or bullion item trades.

Matte Proof - A proof coin with a granular (rather than mirrorlike) surface produced by dies treated to obtain a minutely etched surface.

Medal - A coin-like object struck to honor one or more persons or events depicted or mentioned in its design; an object awarded to persons in recognition of service or other accomplishment.

Medallion - A round piece of metal resembling a coin but not a "coin of the realm." A government or private mint may issue a medallion. The Engelhard 1-oz silver prospector is a privately minted medallion.

Melt/Melt Value - The worth of precious metal in a coin, determined by multiplying the amount of the metal it contains by the spot price of the metal.

Mexican 50 Peso - Gold coin first issued in 1921 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mexico's independence. The Mexican 50 Pesos in the bullion coin market normally are restrikes, minted from 1943 onward. Weight: 1.2057 troy ounce, .900 fine.

Mint - A facility for manufacturing coins.

Metric Ton - 1,000 kilograms or 32,151 troy ounces.

Mintage - The quantity of a denomination of coins produced at a mint during a period of time (usually one year).

Mint Bloom - The original surface of a newly minted coin.

Mint Mark - A letter or symbol stamped on a coin to identify the minting facility where it was struck.

Mint Set - A specially packaged group of uncirculated coins from one or more mints of the same nation containing at least one coin for most or all of the denominations issued during a particular year.

Mint State - In the same condition as when delivered from the mint (natural toning excepted), uncirculated.

Misplaced Date - One or more digits of a date punched away from the intended location, such as in the denticles or in the central design.

Motto - A phrase imprinted on a coin, for most U.S. coins "E PLURIBUS UNUM".

MS-60 - The lowest grade of Mint State coins. Higher-grade coins are labeled MS-61 up to MS-70. Coins showing wear are graded below MS-60 and fall into grades from AU down to G, with G being a coin showing great wear and AU being a coin showing little wear.

Mule - A coin struck from two dies not intended to be used together.

Multiple Strike - A coin struck more than once as a result of not being properly ejected from the coining press.

N

Natural Toning - Coloration resulting from chemical change on the surface during normal environmental exposure over a prolonged period.

Net Price - A term signifying that the seller is unwilling to sell for less than the price marked.

NGC - Numismatic Guarantee Corporation. Coin Grading service.

Noble - Modern platinum bullion coin issued by the Isle of Man since 1983.

Nugget - Modern gold bullion coin minted by Australia, .9999 fine.

Numismatic coins - Coins whose prices depend more on their rarity, condition, dates, and mint marks than on their gold or silver content.

Numismatics - The collection and study of coins, tokens, medals, paper money and other objects exchanged for goods and services or manufactured by similar methods.

Numismatist - A person who collects and/or studies numismatic items.

O

Obol - A small silver coin of ancient Greece, originally a day's wages for a rower on a galley or a citizen on jury duty.

Obverse - The front or "heads" side of a coin, often bearing a portrait and date.

Off Center - Incorrectly centered during striking, resulting in part of the design missing (off the edge).

Original/Original Toning - Having natural surfaces resulting from long exposure to ordinary environmental conditions, unclean.

Ounce: a unit of weight. In the precious metals industry, an ounce means a troy ounce equal to 31.1035 grams.

Overdate - A coin struck from a die with at least one digit of the date repunched over a different digit, e.g. 1809/6 or 1942/1.

Overgraded - Designated with a higher grade than merited.

Over Mintmark - One mintmark on top of a different mintmark, such as a 'D' over an 'S' (denoted D/S).

P

Paper Money - Paper notes with standardized characteristics issued as money.

Paranumismatica - British term for exonumia.

Patina - A thin layer of naturally oxidized metal on the surface of a coin acquired with age.

Pattern - A coin struck as a test piece for a new design, sometimes without a date.

PCGS - Professional Coin Grading Service.

Pennyweight - An American unit of weight for gold in which one pennyweight equals 24 grains or 1/20 of a troy ounce.

Pick Up Point - An area where a feature, such as die doubling, is most evident.

Piece of Eight - A former Spanish coin with a face value of eight reales; the U.S. dollar was originally valued at and tied to eight reales.

Pits or Pitted Surfaces - Tiny holes in the surface of a coin. Usually caused from corrosion of the metal the coin is made from.  These are not coins to buy unless they are rare or used as fillers until a better example can be obtained.

Planchet - A piece of metal prepared for coinage with raised rims but as yet unstruck.

Platinum Eagles - Modern platinum bullion coins minted by the U.S. Treasury.

Plugged - Denotes that a holed coin has been filled

Porous - Having a granular surface as the result of oxidation, most frequently found with older copper coins.

Premium - The dollar amount or percentage a coin sells over its intrinsic value. Example: the American Eagle sells at a premium of 5% to 8%.

Prestige Set - A set of coins produced by the U.S. Mint containing one or more proof commemorative coins released in the same year, as well as a proof cent, nickel, dime, quarter and half.

Problem Coin - Any coin that has been cleaned or damaged or has other undesirable characteristics.

Proof - A coin specially manufactured to have extra sharp detail, mirrorlike fields and sometimes frosted or "cameo" devices, produced for sale to collectors at a premium or for exhibition or presentation.

Proof Like - Having mirrorlike fields, similar to a coin struck as a Proof.

Proof Set - A specially packaged group of coins containing at least one of most or all of the denominations of proof coins struck by a nation in a particular year.

PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride - a substance used in the making of certain plastics. When coins are stored in holders made with PVC, the chemical reaction leaves a green slimy film on the over time, will ruin the coins surfaces.

Q

Quarter Eagle - A U.S. gold coin with a face value of $2.50 first minted in 1796 and last minted in 1929.

R

Rarity - An infrequently encountered or available item; the number of surviving specimens of a particular issue, as may be indicated by a rarity scale index.

Rarity Scale - A convention for designating the rarity of a coin, such as Sheldon's system (with values such as R1 for common pieces and R6 for extremely rare specimens) and the Universal Rarity Scale invented by Alan Herbert (with designations such as URS3).

Real - A former basic monetary unit of Spain and Spanish colonies in the Americas.

Reeded Edge - An edge with raised parallel lines, a.k.a. milled or grained.

Relief - Features rising above the field.

Repunched Date - A date with one or more of the digits punched more than once in different locations and/or orientations.

Repunched Mintmark (RPM) - A mintmark punched more than once in different locations and/or orientations.

Restrike - A coin struck with authentic dies later than the date it bears.

Reverse - The back or "tails" side of a coin.

Rim - The outer edge of a coin, often raised to avoid premature wear.

Round - A disc shaped piece of precious metal bullion.

RPD - Re-Punched Date. Similar to RPM except the date was punched into the die a second time.

RPM - Re-punched Mint mark. Where one mintmark was punched into the die and another mintmark was punched into the same die either over the first one or in a different position. Common terms are S/S - (read as S over S), D/D, D/S, S/D etc.)

S

Scrip - A note issued by and redeemable at a merchant or group of merchants.

Series - Coins of the same major design and denomination, including every combination of date and mintmark minted, e.g. Morgan dollars.

Sheldon Scale - A numerical grading system ranging from 1 to 70 created by Dr. William H. Sheldon to denote proportional values of large cents minted from 1793 to 1814 and subsequently adapted as a general grading scale.

Shinplaster - Canadian fractional banknotes.

Sight Seen - Available for examination to a potential buyer before a purchase decision is made.

Sight Unseen - Not available for examination to a potential buyer before a purchase decision is made, as is usually the case with mail order transactions.

Silver Certificate - A note (paper money) once redeemable for its face value in silver.

Silver Clad - A clad coin with one layer containing silver, such as U.S. halves struck from 1965 to 1970.

Silver Eagle - A coin produced by the U.S. mint beginning in 1986 containing one ounce of silver and having a nominal face value of $1 (not released for circulation).

Slab - A coin certified by a professional grading service as authentic and encapsulated in a sealed hard plastic holder also containing a label bearing the service's opinion of its grade and other information (see detailed discussion in FAQ).

Slabbed Coins - Coins encapsulated in plastic for protection against wear. Generally, "slabbed" coins are graded by one of the two major grading services.

Slider - A coin with very slight traces of wear, such that it almost passes for an uncirculated specimen.

Sovereign - English gold coin with a face value of one pound sterling and a gold content of .2354 ounce.

Specie - Precious metal used to back money, usually gold and silver.

Specimen - Specially minted coins of a very high quality of manufacture, on specially prepared planchets (blanks), usually for collectors or for presentation to V.I.P.'s. These coins can have mirror-like, satiny or matte surfaces. Before 1973, the Royal Canadian Mint specified that their equipment used to produce coins was not capable of producing PROOF coins, by their own definition, therefore the term SPECIMEN is used for these very special coins. The Royal Canadian Mint has officially been producing PROOF coins since 1973. Before 1973, the term SPECIMEN is applied to coins that are of similar quality to PROOF coins minted in other countries. Canadian SPECIMEN coins minted at the Royal Mint in London before 1908 can be considered PROOF coins since this mint had the proper manufacturing equipment to produce PROOF coins.

Split Grade - Different grades for the obverse and reverse sides.

Spot - Short for spot price; Small area of corrosion or foreign substance.

Spot Price - The market price for immediate delivery of a commodity, such as a precious metal.

Spread - The difference between buy and sell prices on the same item(s) of a dealer, broker, etc. Extent of separation between impressions on a doubled die.

Stella - U.S. gold coin pattern with a face value of $4 minted in 1879 and 1880.

Striations - Incuse marks caused by rolling bars during planchet production.

Strike - The process of impressing the design from a die into a planchet to make a coin, token or medal; Completeness of detail (as in weak strike, full strike, etc.) created during this process.

Strike Doubling - See machine doubling.

Symbolic face value: nominal value given to legal tender coins sold for their metal content. Example: the 1-oz Gold Eagle carries a $50 face value but sells for the value of its gold content plus a premium of 5% to 8%.

T

Tetradrachma - An ancient Greek silver coin weighing about 13 to 17 grams, roughly the same size as a U.S. quarter but three times thicker.

Thumbing - The rubbing of skin oil onto a coin in an attempt to hide contact marks.

Token - A coin-like object redeemable for a particular product or service, such as transportation on a bus or subway; an unofficial coin issued by a business or town to be used as small change, e.g., in 17th-19th century Britain, and in France in the 20th century.

Toning - Color acquired from chemical change on the surface.

Trade Dollar - U.S. coin with a face value of $1 minted from 1873 through 1885 specifically for commerce in the Orient; A U.K. coin with a face value of $1 minted from 1895 through 1935 specifically for commerce in the Orient.

Trime - U.S. coin with a face value of 3 cents minted in predominantly silver alloys from 1851-1873.

Troy Ounce - Unit of weight for precious metals. One troy ounce equals 31.1035 grams or 480 grains. One troy ounce equals 1.09711 avoirdupois ounce.

Tube - A plastic container designed for storing a roll or other quantity of coins of the same size.

Type Coin - Any coin of a particular design and denomination, usually one of the more common dates.

Type Set - A collection of coins of various designs; rather than try to complete the series, the goal of the type collector is to obtain at least one example of several different types.

U

Uncirculated Coin- A coin that has never actually been used as money and has no visible signs of wear.

Uniface – A coin that is just strike in one side.

V

VAM - Any variety of U.S. silver dollar described in the book Morgan and Peace Dollars by Van Allen and Mallis.

Variety - Any coin struck from a die pair that differs from others with the same date and mintmark, such as one exhibiting die doubling, different style letters or numerals, or a repunched mintmark.

W

Want List - A tabulation of collectibles sought by a collector, often including limits on condition and/or price.

Water Mark - A design put into paper at the manufacturing stage by pressing it while wet between rollers bearing the design.

Wear - Metal lost during handling and contact with other objects.

Whizzing - Alteration by mechanical polishing to produce a shiny surface.

World Coins - Coins issued by various nations, as in a collection comprised of coins thereof.

 

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Y

 

Z