1831 Capped Bust Quarter. Image: Stack's Bowers / CoinWeek.

AU58 : A Grade Just Shy of Mint State

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By CoinWeek Notes ..... Also known as "About Uncirculated 58", or "Borderline BU," AU58 is a specific grade on the Sheldon Scale. A properly graded...
The Omega Counterfeiter's mark. Image: NGC.

The Mystery of the Omega Counterfeiter

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By CoinWeek Notes ..... A counterfeiter known by the Greek letter omega (Ω) that he, she, or they used to mark their work. Perhaps most famous...
Sheldon Scale. Image: Adobe Stock / CoinWeek.

The Sheldon Scale – How Coins Are Graded

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ..... The Sheldon Scale (or Sheldon Grading Scale) is a 70-point numerical grading system for evaluating...
The Sheldon Rarity scale provides collectors with an insight into surviving coin populations. Image: Stack's Bowers / Adobe Stock / CoinWeek.

Sheldon Rarity Scale – What Does It Mean and What Does It Do?

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek .....   The Sheldon Rarity Scale is a nine-point rarity scale devised by Large Cent enthusiast William H....
Examples of Arms on numismatic objects. From left to right: New York Excelsior Copper with New York Coat of Arms; 1884 California gold charm with crude State Seal; The back of $1 Federal Reserve Note with the Great Seal of the United States. Image: Stack's Bowers/CoinWeek.

Arms – A Heraldic Motif Used on Coins and Medals

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   In heraldry, "arms" are symbols that refer to a nation, polity, family, or corporation. These symbols are used to express the...
A Prooflike 1880-CC Morgan dollar. Image: Stack’s Bowers / CoinWeek.

Prooflike – What Does This Coin Collecting Term Really Mean?

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (adj.) "Prooflike" is a term used to describe a business-strike coin--especially Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars--in...
$10 Federal Reserve "Star Note". Image: Stack's Bowers.

Star Note – Collectible Paper Money Still in Circulation

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) A Star Note is a replacement banknote issued by the United States, so named because of the placement of a printed...
Girl Scouts Fun With Money Patch. Image: Adobe Stock / CoinWeek.

Fun With Money Patch – The ANA and Scouting

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   Fun With Money is a Council Patch awarded to scouts for completing a seven of 12 coin-related educational objectives laid out...
An assortment of United States silver coins. Image: Adobe Stock.

Tenor – A Financial Term With an Evolving Meaning

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) In numismatics, the tenor is a standard weight and fineness or exchange rate of the metal in a coin. The United...
“Ruptured Duck”, World War II Discharge Pin. Image: Smithsonian Institution.

Ruptured Duck – An Unusual Name for an Important World War II Artifact

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Slang. The "Ruptured Duck" is the colloquial name given to the Honorable Service Lapel Button, a gilt-brass button issued to military...

The Brasher Doubloon Film From a Numismatist’s Perspective

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   The Brasher Doubloon is a 1947 film based on Raymond Chandler’s 1942 novel The High...
Lucky 777 $1 Federal Reserve Note Collectible. Image: BEP.

Lucky 777 Note

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
(n.) The Lucky 777 Note is a product sold by the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) that capitalizes on Asian traditions of...
Series 2006A $100 Bill. Image: Adobe Stock.

C-Note – Another Name for the $100 Bill

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Slang. A C-note is one of a handful of colloquial terms for the one-hundred-dollar bill, “C” being the Roman numeral for “100”...
Radar Note on a Series 1996 $100 Federal Reserve Note.

Radar Note – A Fancy Number Federal Reserve Note

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Concerning currency and paper money from the United States, a radar note is a Federal Reserve Note with a palindromic serial...
1797 Capped Bust Eagle. Image: Stack's Bowers / CoinWeek.

Transposed Arrows – A Heraldic Term and a Strange Bias on Coins

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) In heraldry, the term transposed arrows means that an eagle is clutching arrows in its...
Three Choice Proofs, graded PR63 by PCGS and CACG. Image: David Lawrence Rare Coins / CoinWeek.

Choice Proof – A Coin That’s Not Quite Gem

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (adj.) Choice Proof is a term used to describe an unimpaired Proof coin that is not...
Mullet. Stars on an American flag. Image: Adobe Stock.

Mullet – A Heraldic Star on Coins

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) In heraldry, a mullet refers to a star with straight rays, such as the star...
2024 Army Silver Medal. Medal Turn is illustrsted. Image: CoinWeek / U.S. Mint.

Medal Alignment – One Way to Orient Obverse and Reverse

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) To say that a numismatic object--specifically a round object made of metal with designs engraved...
The 2000 Library of Congress bimetallic commemorative coin was the first bimetallic coinage struck by the United States Mint since silver plugs were used on some coins in the 1790s. Image: United States Mint / CoinWeek.

Kernel – Inner Disc of a Bimetallic Coin

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) In numismatic terms, the kernel is the central or inner disc of a bimetallic coin....
The back of the 1775 Massachusetts "Sword in Hand Note." Image: Heritage Auctions / Adobe Stock / CoinWeek.

Ense Petit Placidam Svb Libertate Qvietem

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
Ense Petit Placidam Svb Libertate Qvietem is a Latin phrase meaning “Issued in the Defense of Liberty.” It appears on the 1775 Massachusetts “Sword-in-Hand”...
Three coins in PCGS rattler holders. Image: Stack's Bowers / CoinWeek.

Rattler PCGS Coin Holder – A Beloved Early Slab

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Slang. A rattler is an early-generation PCGS coin holder or "slab". It is so-called because coins...
Certification Numbers from CACG, NGC, and PCGS.

Certification Number – How to Verify Graded Coins

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ..... (n.) A certification number is a unique identifier printed on a certified coin's label on pieces encapsulated by a third-party grading company....
The exergue on a Libertas Americana medal. Image: PCGS / CoinWeek.

Exergue – Dedicated Space at the Bottom of a Coin

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Pronounced “ECKS-urg”. The exergue, sometimes known as the exergum, is the lowest part of a coin, typically found on the reverse....
2009 Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens double eagle shows Liberty wearing a Chiton. Image: Adobe Stock / CoinWeek.

Chiton – Ancient Fashion Adorns Most Beautiful U.S. Coin

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) Pronounced "KAI-tun," usually replacing the "t" with a glottal stop. As seen on various U.S. and...
1964 Quarter - Date Freeze. Image: CoinWeek / Adobe Stock.

The Date Freeze – With Mintages for 1964 and 1965-Dated Coins

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   A date freeze is a policy where a government or government agency issues a coin over the course of a number...
Auctioneer looks out for shill bidding. Image: Adobe Stock.

Shill Bidding – A Way Some Consignors Inflate the Sale Price of Their Own...

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ..... (n.) Shill bidding is a practice in which a seller, consignor, or associated party places bids...
Simulated image of acid being applied to a Morgan dollar to make a California Proof. Image: Adobe Stock / CoinWeek.

California Proof – A Dubious Type of Morgan Dollar

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
(n.) Slang. Also known as a "California Special", a California Proof is a doctored Morgan silver dollar that has had its field polished and its devices...
From a mintage of 17,796 coins, only three 1822 Capped Head half eagles are known. Image: Stack's Bowers / CoinWeek.

Characteristic Ratio – A Formula to Understand Coin Survival Rates

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
Characteristic Ratio (C.R.) is a numismatic term coined by the late numismatist Walter Breen in the 1950s and used to denote the percentage of...
The Chief is the upper part of the shield on this Liberty Seated Dollar. Image: Stack's Bowers / CoinWeek.

Chief – A Heraldic Term Used on Coins and Medals

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes .....   (n.) In heraldry, a chief is the upper part of a shield, typically one third of the shield's total size, that contrasts...
S.S. Brother Jonathan

SS Brother Jonathan – A Ship Connected to Recovered Gold Coins

Numismatic Terms CoinWeek Notes -
By Charles Morgan, Hubert Walker, and Russell Augustin for CoinWeek Notes .....   Named for an early symbol of the United States of America (think Uncle...
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