NewYorkMint

Abrasions - Light friction rubbing or scuffing that is different from hairlines and bag marks. Sometimes referred to as "cabinet friction" because many times it is caused by a sliding action in a coin cabinet.

Accumulation - Quantities of coins, tokens and other numismatic material which has not been sorted, classified, attributed nor organized in any meaningful way, unlike a true coin collection.

Adjustment Marks - Marks or grooves caused by filing a planchet prior to striking in order to reduce it to a standard weight. This was a fairly common practice on many early U.S. coins, particularly bust dollars.

Album - A holder with slots for storing and displaying coins in a book-type manner. Common brand names include Whitman, Dansco and Harco.

Alloy - A combination of two or more metals, such as electrum or cupro-nickel.

Alterations - A fraudulent and illegal practice of tampering with the date, mint mark or other feature of a coin (or paper currency) in an attempt to be deceptive. For example, adding an 'S' mintmark to a 1909-VDB Lincoln Cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint.

ANA - American Numismatic Association

Ancient - A coin produced prior to the generally accepted date of 500 A.D.

Anneal - To soften metal by the use of heat, planchets have this done in the striking phase to cause less wear on the dies.

ANS - American Numismatic Society

Artificial Toning - Changing the color or appearance of a coin by various treatments with chemicals, heat and other methods in an attempt to increase its value. While a coin with natural toning may at times provide exceptional eye-appeal and command higher prices than an untoned specimen, a coin known to have been artificially toned (a deceptive practice) will bring much lower than typical prices.

Assay Office - An institution set up to assay or test the purity of precious metal items (to protect consumers).

Attributes - Specific characteristics of a coin. For example: country of origin, denomination, type, inscription, date, metal composition, variety, design, mint marks.

Authentication - A determination by a neutral numismatic expert as to the status of a coin being original and genuine, not counterfeit.

Bag Marks - Nicks and scratches resulting from contact with other coins in the same mint bag. This is especially common on large, heavy coins such as Morgan silver dollars.

Bank Note - Paper currency issued by a bank and payable to bearer.

Bas Relief - (Pronounced "bah") Bas-relief is a method of sculpting which entails carving or etching away the surface of a material (i.e. metal) to create a sculpture portrayed as a picture above the surface. The word is derived from the Italian "basso rilievo," the literal translation meaning low contrast as opposed to "alto rilievo" or high contrast.

Bi-metal / Bi-metallic - A coin with the center and outer ring(s) having different metal alloy compositions.

Billon - A low-grade alloy of silver and other metals, usually copper, which is used in minor coinage.

Bit - Spanish pieces of eight were physically cut into eight pieces with each piece as one bit. The quarter dollar is sometimes referred to as two bits, so that an eighth of a dollar would be one bit or 12 and one-half cents.

Blank - A piece of metal (typically circular) being prepared for coinage before the rims have been raised via the upsetting mill.

Blemishes - Minor nicks, marks, flaws or spots of discoloration that mar the surface of a coin.

Bourse - A place where dealers, collectors and the general public get together to buy, sell and trade coins with each other. Usually the most active section of a coin show.

Brass - A yellowish-gold color alloy consisting mainly of copper and zinc.

Brilliant - A coin that is bright and shiny, usually with a hard, chrome-like luster.

Broadstrike / Broadstruck - A coin struck without a firmly seated collar which results in an outwards "spread", but still includes all design details.

Brockage - A mirror image of a design from one side of a coin impressed on the opposite side, i.e. a newly struck coin may adhere to the 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.

Bronze - A reddish-brown alloy consisting mainly of copper and tin with a small amount of zinc.

Bullion - A coin or other object composed primarily of a precious metal such as gold, silver or platinum with little to no numismatic value over and beyond that of the metal content itself.

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

Business Strike - A coin struck with the intent of serving in the channels of commerce (i.e. to be circulated).

Cabinet Friction - See 'Abrasions'

Cameo - A coin, usually a Proof strike, with a frosted or satin central device surrounded by a mirrorlike field.

Carbon Spots - Small spots of corrosion, usually seen on copper coins.

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 two-pences of 1797 due to their unusually broad rims.

Certified Coin - A coin authenticated and graded by a neutral or unbiased, third-party professional service.

Cherrypick - To secure the purchase of a rare variety of a coin worth a premium over the seller's asking price for a common variety.

Chop Mark - A symbol added to money by someone other than the government which issued it to indicate authenticity. Commonly found on U.S. Trade Dollars which circulated in the Orient.

Circulated - Denotes currency that has served a purpose in the channels of commerce, i.e. it is no longer mint state (uncirculated).

Clad - Composed of more than one metallic layer, i.e. dimes, quarters and half dollars currently minted by the U.S. Mint since 1965.

Clash Marks - Elements of designs from the opposite side of a coin which is the result of coin dies clashing into one another when no planchet is present during the striking process.

Cleaned Coin - A coin which has been dipped, polished, whizzed, wiped, etc. Generally speaking, a certain amount of very light cleaning (such as dipping) done by a professional may be acceptable.

Cleaning - Any procedure that removes corrosion, unattractive toning, etc., such as dipping in solution or rubbing with abrasive materials.

Clip - A coin, planchet or blank missing a portion of metal from its periphery, caused by an error during production of the blank, usually at the end of a strip.

Clipping - Deliberate shearing or shaving from the edge of gold and silver coins. This was quite common from the Byzantine to the Colonial eras, so much so that many authorities employed edge devices in order to discourage this practice.

Coin - A piece of metal (typically circular) with a distinctive stamp and of a fixed value and weight issued by an authority and intended to be used as a medium of exchange.

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

Coining Press - The minting machine that strikes coins.

Collar - A device in a minting press used to restrict the outward flow of metal during striking. Allows the rounding of coins to be much more precise. It can also be used to put an edge design on the coin.

Collection - An organized unit of various numismatic holdings.

Colonial - A coin issued by a colony, such as those produced in the eastern American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Commemorative - A special coin with a design honoring a person, place or event in history.

Condition Census - The finest known specimens of a particular coin type or variety.

Condition of Coins - The condition of a coin is the key to its value. As location is to the real estate market, quality is paramount in the coin collecting market. Each step on the grading scale means a more perfect coin. To learn more about condition and grading of coins, please see our article under 'Collector News.'

Contact Marks - Small surface nicks or scratches which are caused by contact of coins in the same bag.

Copper - A reddish-yellow metal slightly harder then gold, often noted for it's green oxidation. Used as an alloy in pennies.

Counterfeit - A fake coin deceptively made with the intent of passing it off as if it were the genuine article.

Crown - Any dollar-size coin (c. 38mm in diameter) in general, often struck in silver; specifically, one from the Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries.

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

Cull - A coin that is worn to the point of being barely identifiable; and/or damaged.

Cupro-Nickel (or copper-nickel) - Composed of an alloy of copper and nickel, such as the U.S. Flying Eagle cents struck from 1856 thru 1858.

Currency - See 'Paper Money'

Damage - A problem such as scratches, nicks, holes, harsh cleaning, pitting, etc. that lowers the value of a numismatic item.

Date - The year(s) stamped on a coin, typically representing the year it was minted.

Dealer - An individual or organization that regularly buys, sells and trades numismatic products.

Deep Cameo - A cameo coin with especially heavy contrast between the frosted and brilliant mirrorlike areas.

Deep Mirror Prooflike - An attribute given to coins with highly-reflective, mirrorlike fields that give it a similar look to that of a proof strike.

Delamination - Metal missing (or nearly so) from the surface due to incomplete bonding in the planchet.

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

Denomination - The face value of a coin.

Denticles (Dentils) - Tooth-like raised features near the rim of a coin.

Design - The arrangement of devices, lettering, etc. on a coin.

Designer - The artist who creates a coin's design. An engraver is the person who cuts a design into a coinage die.

Device - A major design element. For example, the bust of a person or a ship on the high seas.

Die - A piece of metal (usually cylindrical) engraved with a design at one end used for stamping coins.

Die Chip - A small fragment broken off from a die similar to a cud, but much less dramatic.

Die Clash - Upper and lower dies coming together in a coin press without a planchet between them.

Die Crack - A narrow fissure in the surface of a die that produces a raised line on the coins it strikes.

Die Erosion - Normal wear on a die from its use in the minting process.

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

Die State - The condition of a die at a specific time in its life.

Die Variety - Any minor alteration in the basic design of a coin.

Dipping - A form of cleaning by immersion in a chemical solution which is capable of causing molecular changes in the surface. The intent is typically to remove oxidation or foreign matter from a coin to provide a more appealing appearance.

Disme - A frequently-used spelling of "dime" in the 17th century.

Double Denomination - An error in which a coin is restruck by the die pair of another denomination.

Double Die - A term often intended to mean a doubled die coin and sometimes indicating a machine doubled coin (a very different meaning altogether).

Double Eagle - A U.S. $20 gold coin, minted from 1849 through 1933.

Doubled Die - A die with doubled device details, letters and/or numerals resulting from an error in manufacture. Also, a coin struck from such a die.

Doubloon - Popular name for a Spanish gold coin.

Drachma - An ancient Greek silver coin weighing about 3 grams. The predecessor to the Roman denarius.