Rebus. Coin images: Stack’s Bowers.

Rebus – Coin Design Not by Words

(n.) In numismatics, a rebus is an allusory or symbolic device that might be used as a design element on a coin; e.g. the Sun...
Accolated bust portraiture. Lafayette dollar (left) and Huguenot half dollar (right). Image: Stack’s Bowers.

Accolated – Two Portraits, One Coin

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (adj.) "Accolated" is a coin design term used to describe two overlapping portraits facing the same direction (either right or left), implying...
Two coins that are the finest known. Image: CoinWeek.

Finest Known – What It Does and Doesn’t Mean in the Coin Market

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) A coin described as the "finest known" is a coin of such a condition that...
Lanģued heraldic figure. Image: Adobe Stock.

Lanģued : A Heraldic Term Used on Coins

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (adj.) From the French langue ("tongue"). In heraldry, the term "lanģued" refers to a figure that is depicted with its tongue visible...
Raw Coins: Silver dollars and silver half dollar coins. Image: Adobe Stock.

Raw Coin – When a Slab Just Won’t Do

(n.) A "raw" coin is simply a coin that is not semi-permanently encapsulated in a plastic holder. In other words, a coin in its natural,...
Two wooden nickels. Image: Adobe Stock.

Lignadenarist – Now Accepting Wooden Nickels

(n.) A lignadenarist is a collector of wooden nickels. The term is a portmanteau of the Latin words lignum, meaning “wood”, and denarius, the iconic...
KM Numbers appear in Krause's Standard Catalog of World Coins.

KM Number – A Commonly Referred to World Coin Reference Number

A "KM number", also known as a Krause-Mishler number, is named after American numismatists Chester “Chet” Krause and Clifford Mishler. KM numbers serve as...
Close up of a Ten Cents Fractional Currency note from Series Five. Left: Long Key depicted at the bottom of the Treasury Seal. Right: Short Key variety. Image: Stack’s Bowers / CoinWeek.

Long Key – Fractional Currency Variety

(n.) The term "Long Key" refers to a variety of 19th-century American Fractional Currency paper money from the fifth series (February 26, 1874 – February...
In 2014, former PCGS President Don Willis was photographed placing an insert into PCGS holder to mark the 50 millionth item graded by the company. Image: PCGS.

Insert – An Important Element of a Graded Coin Holder

(n.) When talking about coins, medals, and tokens (etc.) certified and encapsulated in a plastic third-party grading service holder, an insert is a piece of...
This screenshot from a Heritage Auctions lot shows that the final price includes the Buyer’s Premium.

“The Juice” – A Fee That Buyers Pay at Auction

(n.) Slang. The "juice" is the buyer’s fee paid by the winning bidder of an auction lot, usually as a percentage of the winning bid. More...