Glossary of Terms

Terms, Grades, and Abbreviations We Use

A

• ACG (Accugrade Grading Service)
• Acid Date Date enhanced by using acid, otherwise not visible.
• Adjustment Mark File marks made at the mint on early U.S. coins before striking, to adjust planchet weight. 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) Arrows added to a coin’s design to indicate a change in weight.
• AT (Artificial Toning) Coins that have been cleaned and chemically recolored; usually obvious to trained eyes.
• AU (About Uncirculated)
• AU-BU (AU58) A coin that appears BU (Brilliant Uncirculated) but shows very slight rub or cabinet friction (a “slider”), looking CH BU at a glance.

B

• Bag Marks Natural scuffs, nicks, or abrasions from Mint handling or normal shipping.
• Baggy Numerous bag marks from banging into other coins.
• Bands Raised horizontal lines at the center of the bundle of sticks on the reverse of a Mercury dime.
• BHC (Beaded Hair Cord)
• BU (Brilliant Uncirculated)
• BR (Bronze)
• BRN (Brown) Normal toned color of copper or bronze coins.
• Breen# Reference numbers assigned in Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins.
• Broad Bust Second bust style on Indian cents; point of bust is wider than the earlier style.

C

• C# (Craig #) Catalog reference for early world coins.
• CAMEO A coin with frosted central devices and mirrored fields.
• CAPPED CC Seen on 1879 Morgan dollars where the “CC” mintmark was reworked, appearing distorted or recut.
• Carbon Spot Small dark spot on copper or nickel coins; usually not removable without abrasion.
• CH (Choice) Superior or above average for the grade (e.g., VF30, EF45, AU55, MS62–63).
• Chop/Chopmark Test marks punched into coins (often Trade dollars) by merchants/banks, often Oriental, to verify metal content.
• Circulation Mark Normal light marks/nicks from handling in circulation.
• CL (Closed) – As in CL3.
• Clash Die / Clashed Die Occurs when dies are pressed together without a planchet, transferring design detail between the dies.
• Clipped Planchet A semi-circular or straight missing area at the coin’s edge, caused by a mispunched blank.
• CLND (Cleaned / Cleaning) Shows evidence of wiping or over-dipping but not enough to ruin the surface.
• COMMEM (Commemorative)
• COUNTERMARK Letters/design stamped into a coin by a merchant. Contemporary examples can enhance value.
• Corrosion – Damage/pitting from environmental factors.
• CR (Criswell#) – Catalog reference for Confederate notes.
• CR4 (Crosslet 4)
• CRUSTY/CRUSTED Corrosion forming on (rather than into) the coin’s surface; usually dark brown.
• CUD Lump or extra metal on a coin caused by a chipped/broken die (often considered desirable).
• CUT Sharp hit on a coin (knife/chisel/file), sometimes done on older coins to test metal.
• CV (Catalog Value)
• CW – Coin World (newspaper).
• CWT (Civil War Token)

D

• DEVICE Any raised detail on a coin.
• DIE BREAK Raised area (often a line) caused by a crack or break in the die.
• DIE POLISH Fine raised lines from excessive die polishing; can be mistaken for scratches.
• DIPPED Tarnish or dirt removed in a solution. Proper dipping doesn’t affect grade; over-dipping can ruin luster.
• DDO (Double Die Obverse)
• DDR (Double Die Reverse)
• DK (Dark)
• DMPL (Deep Mirror Prooflike)

E

• EF (Extremely Fine)
• EF+ (Extremely Fine 43)
• EF-AU (Extremely Fine 48) Looks AU but just misses the grade.

F

• F (Fine 12)
• FB (Full Bands)
• FBL (Full Bell Lines)
• FH (Full Head)
• FIELD The open/flat area around the coin’s design or relief.
• FILLER A coin identifiable by date/type but damaged or mishandled.
• FILLED Often refers to mintmarks where die deterioration/damage creates a “blob.”
• FLAN – Older term for a coin blank or planchet.
• FR (Fair) Very worn, only major detail readable (AG2).
• FRN (Federal Reserve Note)
• FR# (Friedberg #) – Catalog reference for U.S. currency.
• FS (Full Steps)
• FSB (Full Split Bands)
• F-VF (F18) Looks closer to VF but not quite there.

G

• G4 (Good 4)
• G5 (Good 5) Strong for the grade.
• G- (Good minus) Slightly weak but better than AG.
• G-VG (G6) Looks closer to VG but not quite there.
• G/E (Gold Eagle)
• GEM Highest quality normally found in uncirculated coins (MS64–MS65).
• GRAFFITI Scratches or lettering added outside the Mint, different from countermarks.

H

• HL or HL’s (Hairline or Hairlines)
• HOLE A hole in the coin’s surface that does not go completely through.
• HOLED A hole that passes entirely through the coin.
• HVY (Heavy)

I

• ICG (Independent Coin Grading Service)

K

• KM# – Catalog number from World Coins by Krause & Mishler.

L

• L (Longacre)
• LAMINATION Manufacturing defect causing 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 / Lightly)
• LTS (Light Scratch)

M

• MACHINE DOUBLING Doubling from die shift during minting; common, with minimal premium interest.
• MD (Medium Date)
• MED (Medium)
• MM (Mintmark)
• mm (millimeters)
• MOD (Moderate)
• M/S (Mint Set)
• MS (Mint State)

N

• N/ or n/ – “No” (e.g., N/C = No Cents)
• 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) A coin newspaper.

O

• OBV (Obverse) – Front of a coin.
• O’CLOCK – Position on the coin as if aligned with clock face.
• OP (Open) – As in OP3.
• OZ or Oz or oz (Ounce)

P

• PATINA Natural color/toning on metal, usually desirable.
• PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service)
• P/L (Prooflike)
• P/S (Proof Set)
• PF (Proof)
• PG or Pg or pg (Page) Often references Red Book pages.
• PHC (Plain Hair Cord)
• PITTING Tiny holes in the surface caused by corrosion.
• PL (Plain)
• PLANCHET – The blank on which a coin is struck (also “flan”).
• PLANCHET CLIP – See Clipped Planchet.
• PLANCHET CRACK Crack/flaw in planchet from improper manufacture (does not affect grade).
• PLUGGED A hole that’s been filled or repaired.
• PTD BUST (Pointed Bust)
• POOR Barely identifiable date/type, often damaged.
• PQ (Premium Quality)
• POROUS Pitted surface from environmental damage (degree of porosity may be noted).

R

• RB (Red Brown) Copper coin with a mix of red and brown (percentage of red may be noted).
• RD (Red)
• RECUT Reworking shallow/worn dies to prolong their life; appears as doubling under magnification.
• REPUNCHED Mintmarks/dates sometimes punched again if shallow or unclear.
• RETONED A once-cleaned/dipped coin that has regained toning, either naturally or via chemicals.
• RIM BRUISE A bump pushing metal into the rim but not affecting the design or field.
• RIM BUMP A heavier bump that indents the field/design.
• RIM FILE Filing done to remove a rim nick or abrasion.
• R&B (Red & Brown) Copper coin with a higher percentage of red than an evenly toned red-brown.
• ROLLED RIM Metal pushed up around the edges, ruining the edge reeding.
• RPM (Repunched Mintmark)
• REV (Reverse) – Back of a coin.
• ROTATED When obverse and reverse do not align properly (misaligned dies).

S

• SB (Split Bands)
• SCR (Scratch)
• SCRUFFY Numerous circulation marks beyond normal wear, indicating heavy usage.
• SD (Small Date)
• SEGS (Sovereign Enterprises Grading Service)
• SF (Small Fraction)
• SL (Small Letters)
• SLANT5 – Specific style of the digit “5.”
• SM or Sm (Small)
• SND (Small Narrow Date)
• SILVER PLUG A silver plug added at the Mint (e.g., Flowing Hair coinage) to bring the weight up to standard.
• SOLDER SPOT Solder residue often seen on coins once used in jewelry, sometimes on the rims.
• STEMS Ends of a wreath passing through the bow on early Half Cents and Large Cents.
• STEMLESS Wreath ends that do not pass through the bow.
• STAR 1,2,3, etc. – Identifiers for specific stars on early coins.
• STRUCK THRU Foreign substance (e.g., rag/grease) in the die left a depressed area on the coin.
• SQ (Square) – As in “Sq. Base 2.”
• SS (Small Stars)
• S/E (Silver Eagle)

T

• TF (Tail Feathers)
• T.O. (Troy Ounce)
• TOOLED Surface enhancement by mechanical means (e.g., buffing out a scratch).
• TRENDS Pricing guide in Coin World.
• TY’1, TY’2 (Type 1, Type 2)

U

• UP5 (Upright 5)
• UNC (Uncirculated) Not necessarily brilliant; often used for brown copper coins that have not circulated.

V

• VERDIGRIS Greenish patina on copper coins.
• VG (Very Good) – VG8, VG9, VG10, VG11
• VF (Very Fine) – VF20, VF25, VF30, VF35
• VF+ (VF25) Strong for the VF grade.
• VF-EF (VF35) Almost EF.
• VLS (Very Light Scratch)

W

• W (Wide)
• W/ or w/ (With)
• W/C (With Cents)
• W/R (With Rays)
• WCN (World Coin News)
• WHITE Normal color of a freshly minted silver coin or 1943 steel Lincoln cent.
• WIZZED Polished with a high-speed wire brush to enhance surface appearance.

Y

• YEOMAN# Catalog reference from Yeoman’s guides (e.g., the Red Book).

Symbols and Special Notations

• – (Minus) Slightly weak for a full grade.
• + (Plus) Stronger than normal for a particular grade.
• / (Slash) Split grade (e.g., VF/EF means the obverse grades VF while the reverse grades EF).