Coin Glossary

You can find most popular coin collecting phrases in this coin glossary.

Coin Glossary

O

oddity - when something unusual happens to a coin it is sometimes called an oddity. Can be an "error" that was made at the mint, or something that was done to a coin after the minting of the coin.

obsolete - a coin design or series that is no longer being produced.

obverse - the front side of a coin. Usually the obverse side of a coin has the main design, date and sometimes mintmark. The back of the coin is called the reverse.

off center - describes the way a coin was struck by the printing dies. If the coin was not placed properly and the dies strike it off center then parts of the design will be missing from the coin. Sometimes an off-center coin will have part of the blank planchlet showing.

original roll - a group of coins that were wrapped in paper wrappers at the time of their production. In early days coins were shipped to banks in cloth bags or kegs. Sometimes later they were shipped in rolls. Silver coins stored in rolls will often have toning on and near the edges but not in the center. Some coins stored in rolls will have fewer marks than those stored or transported in bags or kegs. The number of coins in a roll may vary by denomination and time of issuance. Typically there are 50 cents in a roll, 40 nickels, 50 dimes, 40 quarters, 20 halves, 20 silver and Eisenhower dollars, and sometimes 25 SBA or Sacajewea dollars.

ounce - form of measuring weight.  The troy ounce that is used for weighing precious metals is different from the regular grocery store ounce. 

over strike - a coin that instead of being struck on a blank planchlet was accidentally struck on a previously struck coin.


DiggFacebookRedditTwitter
Coin Collecting News
07/01/2025
Texas election comes down to coin flip
After the Pasadena City Council election in Texas ended in a tie, a trusty coin flip was used to decide the winner. more info

07/01/2025
We all have kangaroos hopping around our coin purse – and they’ve been on money since 1795
On the Australian one dollar coin, you will often find the famous representation of a mob of five kangaroos. But when did the kangaroo first appear on money? My new research, published in the ... more info

07/01/2025
Cathie Wood’s ARK dumps COIN, loads up on AMD
Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has trimmed its position in Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) yet again by selling nearly $43.8 million worth of shares on Monday. Over the ... more info