Numismatic Terms

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ..... (n.) A certification number is a unique identifier printed on a coin's label on coins encapsulated by a third-party grading company, which...

(n.) Pronounced “ECKS-urg”. The exergue, sometimes known as the exergum, is the lowest part of a coin, typically found on the reverse. It usually features...

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Pronounced "KAI-tun," usually replacing the "t" with a glottal stop. As seen on various U.S. and...

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   A date freeze is a policy where a government or government agency issues a coin over the course of a number...

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ..... (n.) Shill bidding is a practice in which a seller, consignor, or associated party places bids...

Also known as "About Uncirculated 58", or sometimes referred to as "Borderline BU," AU58 is a coin grade within the Sheldon Scale. A coin...

(n.) Slang. Also known as a "California Special", a California Proof is a doctored Morgan silver dollar that has had its field polished and its devices...

Characteristic Ratio (C.R.) is a numismatic term coined by the late numismatist Walter Breen in the 1950s and used to denote the percentage of...

(n.) In heraldry, a chief is the upper part of a shield, typically one third of the shield's total size, that contrasts with the remainder...

Named for an early symbol of the United States of America (think Uncle Sam meets Daniel Boone), SS Brother Jonathan was a paddle steamer...