(adj.)
An “Almost New” coin is one that is, at best, in About Uncirculated condition and is being opportunistically marketed.
The term is similar in connotation to commemorative specialist Anthony Swiatek’s term “BU”, or “Barely Used”, and is credited to coin dealer Timothy K. Torpin (1951-2008). In use since the late 1970s, the term is no longer commonly used – except perhaps cynically or ironically.
It goes without saying (we hope) that it is not an official or widely recognized coin grade.
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Sources
Murbach, John Michael. “Coin Market Slang: Musings of an Idle Numismatist”. Published online (2006).
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