Glossary of Numismatic Terms

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cabinet friction: Slight surface wear on a coin, token or medal caused by friction between it and the tray or envelope in which it is contained.

check number: On modern paper money, used as a cross reference for the plate number that appears on the margin of a currency sheet and that is trimmed from the note before it enters circulation to identify the printing plate from which the note came. On the face, the check number is a letter and number combination appearing in lower right corner; on the back, it is a number only appearing at the lower right. Often incorrectly called the plate number.

chop mark (shroff mark): A small punched impression applied by Chinese (chop) or Indian (shroff) banks or change offices to attest to the full weight and metallic content of a coin.

Civil War tokens: Privately-issued emergency coin-like tokens, the approximate size of current U.S. cents, which circulated during the Civil War because of a scarcity of small change. Two major types were issued: patriotic tokens, with patriotic themes; and store cards, advertising pieces often carrying the issuer's name, address and type of business or services. See also token.

clad: Composite coinage metal strip composed of a core, usually of a base metal such as copper, and surface layers of more valuable metal, silver (copper-nickel and manganese-brass clad layers are used on U.S. coins as well). Cladding is a cost-saving measure, making coins cheaper to produce while maintaining a desired appearance and magnetic signature permitting use in coin-operated machinery.

clip: Sometimes used to denote an incomplete planchet coin; in earlier days, clipping was a process of shaving edges of coins to remove small amounts of metal for illegal gain (which gave rise to lettered or reeded edges).

coin: Usually a piece of metal, marked with a device, issued by a governing authority and intended to be used as money. The term is often used incorrectly in reference to privately issued medals and tokens.

Coin note: See Treasury note.

collar: A retaining ring die within which the coin dies operate, designed to retard outward metal flow and in most cases, form the edge device. An open collar is slightly wider than the surrounding coin and serves to position the planchet between the dies for striking without causing damage to an edge device applied before striking. A close collar more tightly encircles the planchet during striking and applies the edge device, such as reeding. A segmented collar is sometimes used for applying edge inscriptions; it is made of several edge die segments that when compressed together form the complete collar to form the edge device, and that spring apart to permit the ejection of the coin without damage to the new formed edge device.

Colonial: Refers to coins or paper money issued by the Colonial governments of the 13 British Colonies that became the United States. See state coinages.

commemorative: A piece issued to mark, honor or observe an anniversary, other event, place or person, or to preserve its memory. Can be circulating or noncirculating.

compound-interest Treasury note: A type of U.S. paper money authorized in 1863 and 1864; they brought 6 percent interest, and were to be redeemed three years after issue.

condition census: Term introduced by Dr. William H. Sheldon to denote the finest examples and average condition of next five finest known of a given variety of large cents. Catalogers have extended the use of the term to other series.

conjoined: See accolated.

contact marks, bag marks: Minor abrasions on an otherwise Uncirculated coin, caused by handling in Mint-sewn bags and contact with other surfaces. Sometimes called bag marks; the term is derived from the damage coins received from jostling together during storage and shipment in canvas bags.

Continental currency: Paper money issued by the authority of the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. See also currency.

Continental dollar: A dollar-sized pattern struck in 1776 as a proposed coinage.

COPE, COPE PAK: Acronyms used at Bureau of Engraving and Printing for Currency Overprinting and Processing Equipment and Currency Overprinting and Processing Equipment, Packaging. Machines used to apply overprinting of seals, serial numbers and Federal Reserve index numbers to 16-note half sheets of paper money; then the COPE cuts the half sheets into single notes, bundles them into 100-note packages with a paper band, and into larger plastic-wrapped packages. copper-nickel: Coinage alloy composed of copper and nickel in varying amounts.

copy: A reproduction or imitation of an original.

Coronet: Style of Liberty Head used on U.S. copper and gold coins for much of the 19th century. Liberty wears a coronet (most depicting the word LIBERTY).

counterfeit: An object made to imitate a genuine numismatic piece with intent to deceive or defraud, irrespective of whether the intended fraud is primarily monetary or numismatic.

crown: A general term embracing most silver coins from about 20 to 30 grams in weight and from about 33 to 42 millimeters in size. The term has become applicable also to most nickel alloy coins of the same range of size and weight. Coins of 43 or more millimeters in diameter are said to be multiple crowns.

cud: A form of die break that leaves a shapeless lump of metal on part of a coin adjacent to the rim. The term "cud" should not be used for an interior die break that is not adjacent to the rim.

cupro-nickel: Copper-nickel; term often employed by the government.

currency: Applies to both coins and paper money. Many use the word "currency" for paper money only. Currency is legal tender.

current: Coins and paper money in circulation.