Here’s a list of the terms commonly used to describe coins and help identify coins:
- Hammered: Coins produced by placing a piece of metal (blank/flan) between two dies then hand striking with a hammer (hammering) to produce the coin.
- Legend: Coin inscription which can be on either side of the coin, e.g. “obverse legend’ or “reverse inscription” etc.
- Mint: Place coins are made.
- Mint Mark: Discreet indicator in the form of a letter, number or picture added by the mint to identify their coins.
- Moneyer: Person responsible for producing coins.
- Obverse: “Heads” side of the coin, which commonly features the head of the ruler.
- Reverse: “Tails” side of the coin.
- Spotted a mistake or can you help improve this list of coins terminology? Please add your comments below…
CTTodd says
September 22, 2016 at 1:23 amIn numismatics, the term milled coinage (also known as machine-struck coinage) is used to describe coins which are produced by some form of machine, rather than by manually hammering coin blanks between two dies (hammered coinage) or casting coins from dies. From Wikipedia
CTTodd says
September 22, 2016 at 1:27 amCounterstamped
A countermarked, punchmarked or counterstamped coin is a coin that has had some additional mark or symbol punched into it at some point during its career as a circulating coin. This practise is now obsolete.
Wikipedia
CTTodd says
September 22, 2016 at 1:32 amPlanchet
A coin planchet is a metal, rounded disk containing the blended alloys that makeup a coin.