Coin Collecting Glossary

Numismatists have adopted a long list of terms and slang words to effectively communicate with other coin enthusiasts. Upon entering a coin show or auction, a novice numismatist may become confused by the language frequently used in such environments. The following words and terms are some of the most important to learn when dealing in the coin-collecting world.

Actual gold weight: the actual amount of gold in a coin

American Numismatic Association: commonly referred to as the ANA, a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of coins and money

ancient: a coin that was made before 500 A.D.

auction: an offering made to sell a specific artifact to the highest price bidder; can be online (eBay, etc) or live

authentic: an original coin, guaranteed to be authentic, not counterfeit, by an expert

billon: an alloy produced by combining silver and one other medal (less than 50% of which is comprised of the silver)

blue sheet: common name used to refer to the Certified Coin Dealer newsletter

brilliant uncirculated: used to refer to any coin that has not been circulated

business strike: a coin produced for regular circulation

c-mint: mint marking that indicates the coin was struck at the North Carolina mint, which produced gold coins from 1837 up until its seizure by the Confederate Army during the Civil War

cc-mint: mint marking that indicates the coin was struck at the Carson City, Nevada mint, which operated between 1870 and 1893

CCDN: Certified Coin Dealers Newsletter

CCE: Certified Coin Exchange

circulating commemorative: a coin that commemorates a person, place or event, but is still used as legal tender

circulated: a coin that has been sufficiently handled so it is no longer in mint state

commemorative: refers to a coin that is produced to honor a person, place or event
condition rarity: refers to a coin that is increasingly valuable depending on its condition, rather than its actual rarity

counterfeit: a fraudulent imitation of a coin or a coin that has been altered to deceive collectors

die: generally a cylindrical piece of steel bearing one side of the coin design at one end

face value: the given monetary value of a coin at the time of issue

grade: the numeric value, between 0 -70, assigned to indicate a coin’s condition

Indian penny: common reference to the Indian Head Cent

legal tender: any coin or currency that is issued by the federal government and accepted as payment

legend: any wording or phrase that typically appears on coinage and currency

mint: a facility were coins are made

mint error: refers to mistakes made during the coin striking process, including double strikes and misalignments

mint mark: very small letter or letter on a coin that indicates at which mint it was produced

NGC – short for the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, an independent coin grading service

numismatics: the collection of coins and other related valuables

numismatist: someone who collects numismatic items

off center: a type of mint error in which the coin blank is not hit directly on center on the lower die

proof set: a set of proof coins, usually packaged and preserved for collecting

rarity scale: a system devised to identify the number of specimens known to exist

regular issue: refers to coins that are minted for everyday circulation purposes

rub: general wear on a coin, generally referring to the high spots

series: coins that bear the same design and denomination

want list: a collector’s list of desired items

There are several websites dedicated to providing information and resources on coin collecting. Visit the American Numismatic Association at www.money.org for more information.