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Coin Glossary
Here's a list of numismatic terms that have been used frequently by coin collectors over the years. We hope that the coin knowledge we provide will help you make the best choice in selecting the coins for your collection.
| TERM | DEFINITION |
| Alloy | Combination of two or more metals. |
| Altered Date | False date altered on a coin to make it appear more valuable. |
| Aesthetic Appeal | The artistic appeal a coin has for the viewer and it can be a combination of attractive toning or luster, attractive planchet, and other attributes. |
| Arrows | Design element usually found in the left (viewer’s right) claw of the eagle seen on many United States coins. |
| Arrows and Rays | Term referring to the quarters and half dollars of 1853. The rays were removed in 1854 because of difficulties presented by the busy design. |
| Arrows at Date | Term referring to the arrows to the left and right of the date, added to the dies to indicate a weight increase or decrease. |
| Artificial Toning | Surface coloration, oxidation, toning applied to a coin artificially using chemicals, heat or fumes. |
| Attributes | Elements that make up a coin’s grade. The main ones are marks (hairlines for Proofs), luster, strike, and eye appeal. |
| Authentic | As represented; genuine. |
| Bag Mark | Surface mark (nick, abrasion, scuff) acquired by a coin through contact with other coins in a mint bag. |
| Barber Coinage | Common name for the Charles Barber designed Liberty Head dimes, quarters, and half dollars struck from 1892 until 1916. |
| Beaded Border | A circle of beads around the rim of a coin, serving as decorative or protective border. |
| Billon | Low grade silver (less than 50%) mixed with another metal. |
| Brilliant Proof | Coin with mirrorlike fields and brilliant surfaces. |
| Bronze | Alloy of copper, zinc and tin. |
| Bullion | Precious metal (gold or silver) in form of bars or plate. |
| Burnished | Polished, usually with an engraving tool to remove portions of a coin’s surface, to remove scratches, initials, or other marks, sometimes leaving a depression in the coin. |
| Business Strike | Refers to a coin minted for circulation and commerce; opposite of Proof. |
| Cameo | The central device or portrait of a coin is frosted; coin with satin or mirror-like surface, and which is set against a field which is Proof, thus highlighting the central portrait. |
| Carbon Spot | Oxidation spot or area which usually forms on the surface on a copper, bronze, or nickel coin as a result of moisture. |
| Cartwheel luster | Frosty mint luster or brilliance as found on a business strike coin, which, when held at an angle to the light and turned slowly, gives a moving "cartwheel" effect. |
| Cent | One one-hundredth of the standard monetary unit. |
| Certified Coin | A coin examined, graded and authenticated by an independent grading service; usually encapsulated in plastic. |
| Choice | Signifies that a coin is one of the better examples of its class (ex. Choice Proof). |
| Circulation Strike | Uncirculated coin intended for eventual use in commerce, as opposed to a Proof coin. |
| Clash Mark | Outlines and traces of designs seen in the field of a coin caused by damage occurring when two dies come together without an intervening planchet. This causes certain obverse die designs to be transferred to the reverse die, and vice versa. |
| Cleaning | The process of treating a coin to remove dirt, verdigris, and sediment from the surfaces. Also, the application of a chemical or of abrasive agents to a coin to remove toning or to change the coloration or the surface. |
| Clipped | A term for an irregularly cut planchet. A clip can be straight or curved, depending upon where it was cut from the strip of metal. |
| Coinage | The issuance of metallic money of a particular country. |
| Commemorative | Coins issued to honor some person, place, or event and, in many instances, to raise funds for activities related to the theme. |
| Copper-Nickel | The alloy (88% copper, 12% nickel) used for small cents from 1856 until mid-1864. |
| Coronet Head | Alternate name for Braided Hair design by Christian Gobrecht (also called Liberty Head design). |
| Corrosion | Damage that results when reactive chemicals act upon metal. When toning ceases to be a "protective" coating and instead begins to damage a coin, corrosion is the cause. |
| Counterfeit | False coin, imitation of a genuine piece. |
| Countermark / Counterstamp | Stamp or mark impressed on a coin to verify its use by another government or to indicate revaluation. |
| Cud | An area of raised metal at the rim of a coin where a portion of the die crack broke off, leaving a void in the design. |
| Designer | Artist who created a coin's design. |
| Die | A piece of metal engraved with a design and used for stamping coins. |
| Die Crack | A fine, raised line of a coin, caused by a broken die. |
| Dipped Coin | Refers to a coin that has been cleaned chemically to remove oxidation or foreign matter. |
| Double Eagle | The United States twenty-dollar coin. |
| Double Die | Coin struck from a die that has been given two misaligned impressions from a hub. |
| Eagle | U.S. ten-dollar gold coin. |
| Engraver | The person who cuts the design into a coinage die. |
| Field | The background portion of a coin's surface not used for a design or inscription. |
| Filler | A coin in rare condition but rare enough to be included in a collection. |
| Fineness | Purity of gold, silver or other precious metals, expressed in terms of one thousand parts. 90% pure gold =.900 fine. |