Our Glossary of Terms

Terms, Grades, and Abreviations We Use

ACG

Accugrade Grading Service

Acid Date

Date enhanced by using acid, otherwise not visible.

Adjustment Mark

File marks done at the mint on early US coins before striking, to adjust the weight of the planchet. These are considered natural and do not affect the grade.

AF

About Fine

AFBL

Almost Full Bell Lines

AFS

Almost Full Steps

AFH

Almost Full Head

AG

About Good

ANACS

American Numismatic Association Certification Service

ARR

Arrows, added to design to indicate change in coin's weight

AT

Artificial Toning, refers to coins that have been cleaned and chemically recolored. Usually obvious to the trained eye.

AU

About Uncirculated

AU-BU

AU58, a coin that looks BU but has a very slight rub or cabinet friction, often called a "slider", and appearing CH BU at a quick glance

Bag Marks

Natural scuffs, nicks or abrasions that occurred during handling at the Mint or during normal shipping/handling to the distribution system (banks, etc.)

Baggy

Numerous bag marks from banging into other coins

Bands

Raised horizontal lines at center of bundle of sticks on reverse of Mercury dime

BHC

Beaded Hair Cord

BU

Brilliant Uncirculated

BR

Bronze

BRN

Brown, normal toned color of copper or bronze coins

Breen#

Numbers given to various varieties by Walter Breen in his famous book, "Complete Encyclopedia of US and Colonial Coins"

Broad Bust

Second bust style used on Indian cents; point of bust is wider than on earlier style

C#

Craig # for early world coins

CAMEO

A coin that is frosted on the central detail

CAPPED CC

Occurs on 1879 Morgan dollars where the mintmark was reworked and appears distorted or as a recut/repunched mintmark. Always appears very sloppy.

Carbon Spot

Small dark spot usually on copper or nickel coinage, usually not removable without abrasion

CH

Choice, superior or above average for the grade (eg. VF30, EF45, AU55 & MS62-63

Chop/Chopmark

Test marks punched into coins, usually Trade dollars and similar coins. Made by trade merchants or banks, usually Oriental, to verify the metallic value of a coin.

Circulation Mark

Normal light marks, nicks & abrasions caused by handling in circulation

CL

Closed, as in CL3

CLASH DIE, CLASHED DIE

Occurs when dies are pressed together without a blank planchet/flan. This causes a transfer of some design detail from one die to the other.

Clipped Planchet

Usually a semi-circular area of missing metal at the edge of the coin caused by the original blank having been mispunched. Multiple clips are also known. Straight clips occur at the end of the metallic strip from which planchets are made.

CLND

Cleaned oir Cleaning, shows some evidence of being wiped or overly dipped, but not enough to ruin the surface

COMMEM

Commemorative

COUNTERMARK

Letters or a design stamped into a coin, usually by a merchant. Contemporary countermarks do not lower the grade and in fact usually enhance the value of the coin

Corrosion

CR

Criswell# for Confederate notes

CR4

Crosslet 4

CRUSTY/CRUSTED

Corrosion that forms on, rather than into the surface of a coin. Usually dark brown.

CUD

Lump or extra metal on a coin struck from a chipped or broken die, usually considered desirable

CUT

Sharp hit on a coin as if by a knife, chisel or file, often done on earlier coins to test the metal

CV

Catalog value

CW

"Coin World" newspaper

CWT

Civil War Token

DEVICE

Any raised detail on a coin

DIE BREAK

Raised area, usually a line caused by a crack or break in the die that struck the coin

DIE POLISH

Fine raised lines on the surface of a coin caused by excessive polishing of the die, considered desirable but often confused as scratches by the inexperienced numismatist

DIPPED

Coin that has had tarnish or dirt removed by dipping or rinsing in an appropriate solution. Does not affect the grade if properly done. Overdipping can ruin the lustre on an uncirculated coin.

DDO

Double Die Obverse

DDR

Double Die Reverse

DK

Dark

DMPL

Deep Mirror Prooflike

EF

Extremely Fine

EF+

Extremely Fine 43

EF-AU

Extremely Fine 48, looks like an AU coin, but just misses the grade

F

Fine 12

FB

Full Bands

FBL

Full Bell Lines

FH

Full Head

FIELD

The open or flat area around the design or relief of a coin or medal

FILLER

A coin that is easily identifiable as to date & type, but damaged or mishandled in one or more ways

FILLED

Usually mintmarks where die deterioration/excessive repunching/damage has created a blob on the mintmark

FLAN

Older term for planchet or blank

FR

Fair grade, very worn, only major detail readable, AG2

FRN

Federal Reserve Note

FR#

Friedberg number for US currency

FS

Full Steps

FSB

Full Split Bands

F-VF

F18, looks more like a VF but not quite there

G4

Good 4

G5

Good 5, strong for the grade

G-

Good minus, slightly weak, but better than an AG

G-VG

G6, looks more like a VG but not quite there

G/E

Gold Eagle

GEM

Highest quality normally found in uncirculated coins, grades of MS64 & MS65

GRAFFITI

Scratches or usually lettering done outside the Mint, not to be confused with Countermarks

HL or HL's

Hairline or Hairlines

HOLE

Hole in surface of coin, does not pass all the way through

HOLED

Hole that passes all the way through

HVY

Heavy

ICG

Independent Coin Grading Service

KM#

Catalog# from "World Coins" by Krause & Mishler

L

Longacre

LAMINATION

Manufacturing defect that causes the metal to peel or flake away

LD

Large Date

LF

Large Fraction

LG or Lg

Large

LL

Large Letters

LND

Large Narrow Date

LS

Large Stars

Lt

Light or lightly

LTS

Light Scratch

MACHINE DOUBLING

Doubling that occurs during the minting of coins, when the die shifts slightly causing a shadow expression to a more pronounced doubled Device. This ia very common on many issues and in most cases of only slight premium interest.

MD

Medium Date

MED

Medium

MM

Mintmark

mm

Millimeters

MOD

Moderate

M/S

Mint Set

MS

Mint State

N/ or n/

No

N

Narrow

N/C

No Cents

N/D

No Drapery

N/R

No Rays

N/S

No Stars

NGC

Numismatic Guarantee Corp.

NN

"Numismatic News" newspaper

OBV

Obverse or front of coin

O'CLOCK

Position on coin as if aligned with face of clock

OP

Open, as in OP3

OZ or Oz or oz

Ounce

PATINA

Natural color/toning of metal, usually attractive and desirable

PCGS

Professional Coin Grading Service

P/L

Prooflike

P/S

Proof Set

PF

Proof

PG or Pg or pg

Page, usually refers to the "Red Book" page on which the coin or variety is listed

PHC

Plain Hair Cord

PITTING

Tiny holes in surface caused by corrosion

PL

Plain

PLANCHET

Blank on whic coin is struck, also sometimes called a FLAN

PLANCHET CLIP

See CLIPPED PLANCHET

PLANCHET CRACK

Crack or flaw in the Planchet from improper manufacture, does not affect grade of coin

PLUGGED

Hole that has been filled/repaired/dd>

PTD BUST

Pointed Bust

POOR

Barely identifiable as to date & type, usually has some damage

PQ

Premium Quality

POROUS

Pitted surface from environmental damage (eg. buried or salt water, sometimes indicates with degree of porosity

RB

Red Brown, percent of Red may be noted

RD

Red

RECUT

Worn die or dies with shallow impressions were often reworked or recut to increase their life span. Lettering or other devices have a doubled appearance under magnification

REPUNCHED

Mintmarks/dates are added after the die is made and are often not punched deeply enough at first or after some usage become unclear and are repuched

RETONED

A coin that was once cleaned or dipped and has regained toning either naturally over time or unnaturally by chemical enhancement

RIM BRUISE

A bump that pushes some metal into the rim of a coin, but does not affect the design or field

RIM BUMP

Bump or hit on rim that indents the field or touches the design of the coin, much heavier than a bruise

RIM FILE

Usually done to remove a rim nick or abrasion where the metal was raised

R&B

Red & Brown, a copper coin that has a lot of red rather than one that is evenly toned redbrown (% will indicate percentage of red)

ROLLED RIM

Metal at edges pushed up all around, usually ruins the edge reeding

RPM

Repunched Mintmark

REV

Reverse, or back of coin

ROTATED

OBV & REV do not line up when coin is turned over. Indicates dies were placed in press improperly.

SB

Split Bands

SCR

Scratch

SCRUFFY

Numerous circulation marks, more than normal. Indicates heavy usage not damage.

SD

Small Date

SEGS

Sovereign Enterprises Grading Service

SF

Small Fraction

SL

Small Letters

SLANT5

SM or Sm

Small

SND

Small Narrow Date

SILVER PLUG

A silver plug was addes at the Mint to some Flowing Hair coinage to increase the weight, the opposite of adjustment marks

SOLDER SPOT

A residue of solder often left on coins that were used in jewelry, sometimes well disguised on rims of early coins

STEMS

Ends of wreath that go through the bow at the bottom, on early Half Cents and Large Cents

STEMLESS

Ends of wreath that do not go through bow at the bottom, on early Half Cents and Large Cents

STAR 1,2,3. Etc.

STRUCK THRU

Refers to a foreign substance that was in the die during the coining process. Usually leaves a depressed area. Often caused by a piece of rag used for cleaning or grease not properly wiped off.

SQ

Square, as in Sq. Base 2

SS

Small Stars

S/E

Silver Eagle

TF

TAIL FEATHERS

T.O.

Troy Ounce

TOOLED

Indicates enhancement by mechanical means, such as buffing out a scratch or dig

TRENDS

Pricing guide found in "Coin World"

TY'1

Type 1

TY'2

Type 2

UP5

Upright 5

UNC

Uncirculated, but not brilliant, usually copper coins that have turned brown

VERDIGRIS

Greenish patina on copper coins

VG

Very Good, as in VG8, VG9, VG10, VG11

VF

Very Fine, as in VF20, VF25, VF30, VF35

VF+

VF25, a nice strong VF coin

VF-EF

VF35 or almost EF

VLS

Very Light Scratch

W

Wide

W/ or w/

With

W/C

With Cents

W/R

With Rays

WCN

"World Coin News" publication

WHITE

Normal color of a freshly minted silver coin or 1943 Lincoln cent

WIZZED

Polished by high speed wire brush to enhance the surface appearance

YEOMAN#

Yeoman Catalog#

-

Minus, a coin that is just a little too weak to call a full grade. Although it may technically grade so.

+

Plus, stronger than normal for a particular grade

/

Split grade, obverse grades differently from reverse. A VF/EF coin has a VF obverse (front) and an EF reverse (back)