Standard Brown Pack for a 1973-S Eisenhower Dollar Silver Proof. Image: CoinWeek.

What Is an Eisenhower Dollar Brown Pack?

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Slang. "Brown Pack" is the name given to the packaging of Proof silver-clad Eisenhower dollars manufactured...
Ebay listing advertising an "Estate Sale," while using an altered photograph from a famous company. Image: CoinWeek.

Estate Sale – Another Abused Numismatic Marketing Term

(n.) An estate sale is an auction or other kind of sale in which a deceased person’s belongings are offered to the public, presumably by...
An assortment of coins graded "Good" by CACG. Image: David Lawrence Rare Coins.

Good – A Grade in the Sheldon Coin Grading Scale

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   Abbreviated G, or G-04 and G-06, Good is the fourth ascending grade in the Sheldon...
Black ink representing oleaginous ink - a U.S. paper money anti-counterfeiting tool. Image: Adobe Stock.

Oleaginous Ink – A U.S. Paper Money Anti-Counterfeiting Tool

(n.) Oleaginous ink is a type of greasy, destructible ink invented in the 1820s by Joseph Dixon (1799-1869) for the purpose of thwarting counterfeiters. When...
Open 3 date logotypes for the half eagle, double eagle, nickel five cent coin, and the cent.

Open Three – A Coin Die Variety From 1873

The term "Open Three" or "Open 3" describes a typographical style of the Arabic numeral “3” found on later dies produced in 1873. Earlier...
Federal Reserve Note with SWIMS serial number.

SWIMS Serial Number – Ambigrams on U.S. Paper Money

(n.) A SWIMS serial number is a type of so-called "fancy" serial number found on United States paper money that appears identical if read upside...
Coins colloquially called “picayunes”. Left: 1733 Spanish 1/2 real (Image: Heritage Auctions); Center and Right: 1831 United States half cent (Image: Stack’s Bowers).

Picayune – Old-Fashioned Slang for the Half Dime

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Pronounced “pick-ah-YOON”. Picayune is a regional word for the half dime that was more commonly used...
1809 Classic Head Half Eagle with aureate toning.

Aureate – Golden Toning on Coins

(adj.) Aureate is a term denoting a golden hue. It is occasionally used in auction catalogs to describe the color of a toned coin. * *...
Hippocampus. Image: Adobe Stock / CoinWeek.

Hippocampus – Strange Mythical Creature on a U.S. Coin

(n.) Also Hippocampos or Hippocamp. The hippocampus is a mythical creature of ancient Eurasian cultures depicted as being part horse and part fish or dolphin,...
PQ has multiple meanings in the numismatic marketplace. Image: CoinWeek

PQ – What Does It Mean to Coin and Paper Money Collectors?

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   PQ is an acronym for “Premium Quality”, meaning a coin that is strong for the...