Minting And Coins Terminology
Assay | To test a metal for purity |
Blank | A flat piece of metal on which a coin design is struck
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Circulated | A coin generally used as common currency; as a grade it is "any type of wear" |
Commemorat ive | A special coin or medal issued to honor an outstanding person, theme or event |
Denomination | the value assigned by a government to a specific coin, such as dollar or cents |
Die | An engraved stamp used for impressing a design on a blank piece of metal to produce a coin |
Edge | The "third side" of the coin that may be plain, milled or ornamented |
Engraver | An artist who sculpts a model of a coin design |
Field | The area of the coin with no design or inscription |
Grade | A rating that indicates the amount of wear and preservation of the coin |
Issuing Authority | The country under which the coin is released as legal tender |
Legal Tender | All currency issued by a government authority as official money. |
Medal | A metal coin-like item released to recognize an event, place, theme, person or group |
Mintage | The total number of coins produced for a specific program. |
Mintmark | Small letters o.n the coin (e.g. NZM) that identifies where the coin was struck
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Numismatics | The study or collection of coins, tokens, paper money and medals. |
Obverse | The "heads" side of the coin, usually with an effigy of the head of state or a coat of arms |
Reverse | The back or "tails" side of the coin, usually depicting the theme or event |
Relief | The part of a coin's design that is raised above the surface |
Rim | The raised area around the edges on both sides of the coin |
Roll | The package of a specific number of coins by denomination |
Strike | The process of stamping a coin blank with a design |
Sterling Silver | Silver which is 92.5% silver and 7.5% Nickel. The Nickel makes the metal hard enough to fashion jewelry and plate-ware from. |
Surface | The entire area of the coin, although often refers to field areas only |
Troy Ounce | A unit of weight, equal to about 1.1 avoirdupois (ordinary) ounces. The word ounce when applied to gold and silver always refers to troy ounces. |
Type | A variation in design, size or composition of a specific coin design |
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