Glossary

Below is a list of some numismatic terms and concepts, which may show up in posts. This page can be expanded with your help. If you know of some relevant numismatic terms that should be added to this Glossary page, please consider sending me a comment or email!

These parentheses with a single letter may show up in the online NGC Price Guide and other online/print publications:
(M) - matte finish coin
(P) - proof finish coin
(U) - uncirculated finish coin

A
Alloy - a mixture of metals in coins; for example, cupro-nickel is copper and nickel alloy.

Assay - methods of testing to determine the purity and fineness of precious metals.

B
Blank (planchet) - the metal on which coins are struck.

C
Commemorative - a special coin that celebrates an event, anniversary, person (like Pope John Paul II), etc.

Composition - the metal(s)/alloy(s) that are in coins (EX: the US penny has a composition of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper).

Cupro-nickel - an alloy comprised of copper and nickel.

D
Denomination - the number of the value of a coin or banknote (EX: 5 Maloti).

E
Exergue - a small space below the central design(s) on a coin or medal — sometimes containing a year, denomination, or other inscription.

M
Mint mark - a letter, symbol, or insignia that helps a numismatist figure out where a particular coin is minted.

     ● ENGLAND (Royal Mint) mint marks for branch mints established by the Great Recoinage of 1696: B for Bristol (1696-98), C for Chester (1696-98), E for Exeter (1696-98), E for Edinburgh (1707-09), N for Norwich (1696-98), and Y for York (1696-98)

     ● GERMANY mint marks: A (Berlin), D (Munich), F (Stuttgart), G (Karlsruhe), and J (Hamburg). Earlier mint marks in German history include B (Hannover), C (Frankfurt), E (Dresden), and H (Darmstadt).

     ● UNITED STATES mint marks: D (Denver), P or no mint mark (Philadelphia), S (San Francisco), and W (West Point, NY). Earlier mint marks in U.S. Mint history include C (Charlotte, NC), CC (Carson City, NV), D (Dahlonega, GA), M (Manila, PHILIPPINES: 1925-41), and O (New Orleans).

     Historic Mint Marks of Central America
     ● COSTA RICA — CR — Casa Nacional de Moneda de Costa Rica, San José
     ● EL SALVADOR — C.A.M. — Central American Mint in San Salvador, El Salvador
     ● GUATEMALA — G — Casa de Moneda de Guatemala, Guatemala City
     ● HONDURAS — T — Casa Nacional de la Moneda, Tegucigalpa
     ● PANAMA — AP — Casa de la Moneda de Panamá, Panamá Viejo (present-day Panama City)

N
Numismatist - a collector of banknotes, coins, and/or money-related exonumia (scrip currency, tokens, medals, etc.).

O
Obverse* - this is the "heads" side of a coin that depicts a famous person, important symbol, etc. The obverse side usually (but not always) has the name of the country.

Odd-shaped - there are coins in the world that are anything but circular - there are coins with wavy edges and interesting shapes. For example, there are Australian-shaped coins! More shapes include triangles, squares, diamonds, decagons, hearts, rectangles, etc. Visit the Odd-Shaped Coins List page above for details about hundreds of examples from around the world.

P
Planchet (blank) - the metal on which coins are struck.

R
Reverse* - this is the side of a coin that usually shows the denomination (coin value) and usually lacks a full illustration of something (Lesotho coinage is at least one exception since there are quite large engravings of animals or plants alongside the coin value).

Example of a Reverse: on a 1 Euro coin, the denomination side that says '1 Euro' is the reverse; the other side, which shows an image for each individual country, is considered the obverse.

* Note:
When a coin has the country's coat of arms as the central device on one side, the coat of arms side is the obverse; the denomination side is the reverse.