Coin acronyms and abbreviations (resurrected from my hard drive archives)
mrdq
Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭
ACG -- ACcu-Grade. Grading service. Controversial at present, because the assigned grades
seem to be inflated relative to standard services like PCGS and NGC.
aF (VG10) -- about Fine. Grade.
AFAIK -- As Far As I Know. Internet phrase.
AG (AG3) -- About Good. Grade.
ANA -- American Numismatic Association. Collector and dealer organization.
ANACS -- (originally) American Numismatic Association Certification Service. Grading
service. It has since been sold to a company independent of the ANA.
AU (AU50, AU53, AU55, AU58) -- About Uncirculated. Grade.
aVF (F15?) -- about Very Fine. Grade.
aXF (VF35?) -- about Extremely Fine. Grade.
B# (B1-B10?) -- Browning number (1925). Die variety - Bust Quarters, 1796-1838.
B# (B1-B23?) Bolender number (1950, 1998). Die variety - Silver Dollars, 1794-1803.
BB# (BB1-BBn?) -- Bowers and Borckardt number (1993). Die variety - Silver Dollars,
1794-1804 and later.
BG# (BG101-BG1313) -- Breen and Gillio number (1983). Die variety - California private
gold, 1852-1882.
BIN -- Buy It Now. eBay (www.ebay.com) phrase.
BN -- Brown. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or RD).
BTW -- By The Way. Internet phrase.
BU (MS60?) -- Brilliant Uncirculated. Vague Grade.
BV -- Bullion Value. The value of the coin is closely related to its metallic content
(usually silver or gold).
C -- Charlotte (North Carolina). Mintmark, 1838-61, gold coins only.
C# (C1-C23?) -- Cohen number (1982). Die variety - Half Cents, 1793-1857.
CC -- Carson City (Nevada). Mintmark, 1870-93, gold and silver coins only.
CMM# (CMM1-CMM13?) -- Cohen, Munson, Munde number (1971). Die variety - Half Cents,
1793-1857.
CSDG -- California Small Denomination Gold.
CW -- Coin World. Publication.
D -- Dahlonega (Georgia). Mintmark, 1838-61, gold coins only.
D -- Denver (Colorado). Mintmark, 1906-.
DC (DCAM) -- Deep Cameo. High grade proof.
DDO -- Doubled Die Obverse. Type of die variety.
DDR -- Doubled Die Reverse. Type of die variety.
DMPL -- Deep Mirror Proof Like. Business strike, with deep mirrored planchet.
EAC -- Early American Coppers, Inc. Collector and dealer organization.
EF (EF40, EF45) -- Extremely Fine. Grade.
F (F12, F15) -- Fine. Grade.
FA -- For Auction. Internet phrase.
FAQ -- Frequently Asked Question. List of such questions and answers. Internet phrase.
FS# (FS1-FS?) -- Fivaz and Stanton number (19xx). Die variety - many series.
FS -- For Sale. Internet phrase.
FWIW -- For What It's Worth. Internet phrase.
FYI -- For Your Information. Internet phrase.
G (G4, G6) -- Good. Grade.
GMM -- Gallery Mint Museum. A current producer of replicas of early US coins.
HTH -- Hope This Helps. Internet phrase.
ICGS -- Independent Coin Grading Service. Grading service.
IIRC -- If I Recall Correctly. Internet phrase.
IMHO -- In My Humble Opinion. Internet phrase.
IMO -- In My Opinion. Internet phrase.
ISO -- In Search Of. Internet phrase.
J# (J1-J1778?) -- Judd number (1959-77). Pattern or experimental coin.
JR# (JR1-JR13?) -- John Reich number (Davis, et al, 1984). Die variety - Bust Dimes,
1794-1837.
KM# (KM1-KM?) -- Krause and Mishler number. From Standard Catalog of World Coins. Type of
world coin. Includes California, Mormon, Colorado, Hawaii.
LOL -- Little Old Lady. (Possibly) naive customer/seller. Objectionable term; included
here because of the other LOL.
LOL -- Laughing Out Loud. Internet phrase.
MS (MS60-MS70) -- Mint State. (Uncirculated, business strike). Grade.
N# (N1-N17?) -- Newcomb number (1944). Die variety - Large Cents, 1816-1868.
N# (N1-N105?) -- Newman number (1952). Die variety - Fugio Cents, 1787.
NARU -- Not A Registered User (implies account terminated due to violation of rules).
EBay(www.ebay.com) phrase.
NC -- Not Collectable. A unique or nearly unique coin. Usually one of Sheldon's die
varieties of Large Cents. At the time of Sheldon's "Penny Whimsey" (1958),
for a coin to be NC, there had to be less than 3 specimens known.
NGC -- Numismatic Guarantee Corporation. Grading service.
NLG -- Numismatic Literary Guild. A prestigious organization of writers of numismatically
related articles, books, etc.
NN -- Numismatic News. Publication.
NTC -- Numistrust Corporation. Grading service. (relatively new, reputation unknown)
O# (O101-O128?) -- Overton number (1970). Die variety - Bust Half Dollars, 1794-1836.
OMM -- Over MintMark. Two different mintmarks involved. (versus RPM, which is the same
mintmark punched more than once). Type of die variety.
OT -- Off Topic. Internet phrase.
OTOH -- On The Other Hand. Internet phrase.
P -- Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). Mintmark, 1942-45 (5c only), 1979- (all but 1c).
Sometimes denotes absence of mintmark.
PCGS -- Professional Coin Grading Service. Grading service.
PCI -- Photo-certified Coin Institute. Grading service.
PF (PF60-PF70) -- Proof. Type of coin production and/or Grade. Contrasts with business
strike.
PL -- Proof Like. Business strike, with mirrored planchet.
PNG -- Professional Numismatists Guild. Dealer organization.
PQ -- Premium Quality. Sometimes part of the sealed slab grade, such as a MS64 PQ
(not quite good enough for MS65). Often it is just a hype adjective like "Choice" or
"Select".
PR (PR60-PR70) -- Proof. Type of coin production and/or Grade. Contrasts with business
strike.
PVC -- Poly Vinyl Chloride. An ingredient of soft plastic "flip" coin holders which will
damage coins over time.
R# (R1-R8)
Rarity scale. R1 most common; R8 least common. The often used Sheldon scale is:
R8 = 1-3 known (estimated), "Unique or Nearly Unique"
R7 = 4-12 known, "Extremely Rare"
R6 = 13-30 known, "Very Rare"
R5 = 31-75 known, "Rare"
R4 = 76-200 known, "Very Scarce"
R3 = 201-500 known, "Scarce"
R2 = 501-1250 known, "Uncommon"
R1 = over 1251 known, "Common"
RB -- Red-Brown. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or RD).
RD -- Red. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or RD).
RIC -- Roman Imperial Coinage.
ROFL -- Rolling On the Floor Laughing. Internet phrase.
RPC -- Roman Provincial Coinage.
RPD -- RePunched Date. Type of die variety.
RPM -- RePunched Mintmark. Type of die variety.
RSC -- Roman Silver Coinage.
S -- San Francisco (California). Mintmark, 1854-1955, 1968-.
S# (S1-S295?) -- Sheldon number (1949). Die variety - Large Cents, 1793-1814.
S# (S1-S9?) -- Snow number (1992). Die variety - Flying Eagle and Indian Head Cents,
1856-1909.
SEGS -- Sovereign Entities Grading Service. Grading service.
SP -- Specimen. Better than business strike, but not quite a proof.
TIA -- Thanks In Advance. Internet phrase.
TTFN -- Ta Ta For Now. Internet phrase.
UC (UCAM) -- Ultra Cameo. High grade proof.
UNC (Unc., MS60?) -- Uncirculated. Grade.
V# (V1-V10?) -- Valentine number (1975). Die variety - Half Dimes, 1794-1873.
VAM# (VAM1-VAM230?) -- Van Allen and Mallis number (1976). Die variety - Morgan Dollars,
1878-1921.
VG (VG8, VG10) -- Very Good. Grade.
VF (VF20, VF30, perhaps VF35) -- Very Fine. Grade.
W -- West Point (New York). Mintmark, 1984-.
WTB -- Wanted To Buy. Internet phrase.
XF (XF40, XF45) -- eXtremely Fine. Grade.
YMMV -- Your Mileage May Vary. Internet phrase.
seem to be inflated relative to standard services like PCGS and NGC.
aF (VG10) -- about Fine. Grade.
AFAIK -- As Far As I Know. Internet phrase.
AG (AG3) -- About Good. Grade.
ANA -- American Numismatic Association. Collector and dealer organization.
ANACS -- (originally) American Numismatic Association Certification Service. Grading
service. It has since been sold to a company independent of the ANA.
AU (AU50, AU53, AU55, AU58) -- About Uncirculated. Grade.
aVF (F15?) -- about Very Fine. Grade.
aXF (VF35?) -- about Extremely Fine. Grade.
B# (B1-B10?) -- Browning number (1925). Die variety - Bust Quarters, 1796-1838.
B# (B1-B23?) Bolender number (1950, 1998). Die variety - Silver Dollars, 1794-1803.
BB# (BB1-BBn?) -- Bowers and Borckardt number (1993). Die variety - Silver Dollars,
1794-1804 and later.
BG# (BG101-BG1313) -- Breen and Gillio number (1983). Die variety - California private
gold, 1852-1882.
BIN -- Buy It Now. eBay (www.ebay.com) phrase.
BN -- Brown. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or RD).
BTW -- By The Way. Internet phrase.
BU (MS60?) -- Brilliant Uncirculated. Vague Grade.
BV -- Bullion Value. The value of the coin is closely related to its metallic content
(usually silver or gold).
C -- Charlotte (North Carolina). Mintmark, 1838-61, gold coins only.
C# (C1-C23?) -- Cohen number (1982). Die variety - Half Cents, 1793-1857.
CC -- Carson City (Nevada). Mintmark, 1870-93, gold and silver coins only.
CMM# (CMM1-CMM13?) -- Cohen, Munson, Munde number (1971). Die variety - Half Cents,
1793-1857.
CSDG -- California Small Denomination Gold.
CW -- Coin World. Publication.
D -- Dahlonega (Georgia). Mintmark, 1838-61, gold coins only.
D -- Denver (Colorado). Mintmark, 1906-.
DC (DCAM) -- Deep Cameo. High grade proof.
DDO -- Doubled Die Obverse. Type of die variety.
DDR -- Doubled Die Reverse. Type of die variety.
DMPL -- Deep Mirror Proof Like. Business strike, with deep mirrored planchet.
EAC -- Early American Coppers, Inc. Collector and dealer organization.
EF (EF40, EF45) -- Extremely Fine. Grade.
F (F12, F15) -- Fine. Grade.
FA -- For Auction. Internet phrase.
FAQ -- Frequently Asked Question. List of such questions and answers. Internet phrase.
FS# (FS1-FS?) -- Fivaz and Stanton number (19xx). Die variety - many series.
FS -- For Sale. Internet phrase.
FWIW -- For What It's Worth. Internet phrase.
FYI -- For Your Information. Internet phrase.
G (G4, G6) -- Good. Grade.
GMM -- Gallery Mint Museum. A current producer of replicas of early US coins.
HTH -- Hope This Helps. Internet phrase.
ICGS -- Independent Coin Grading Service. Grading service.
IIRC -- If I Recall Correctly. Internet phrase.
IMHO -- In My Humble Opinion. Internet phrase.
IMO -- In My Opinion. Internet phrase.
ISO -- In Search Of. Internet phrase.
J# (J1-J1778?) -- Judd number (1959-77). Pattern or experimental coin.
JR# (JR1-JR13?) -- John Reich number (Davis, et al, 1984). Die variety - Bust Dimes,
1794-1837.
KM# (KM1-KM?) -- Krause and Mishler number. From Standard Catalog of World Coins. Type of
world coin. Includes California, Mormon, Colorado, Hawaii.
LOL -- Little Old Lady. (Possibly) naive customer/seller. Objectionable term; included
here because of the other LOL.
LOL -- Laughing Out Loud. Internet phrase.
MS (MS60-MS70) -- Mint State. (Uncirculated, business strike). Grade.
N# (N1-N17?) -- Newcomb number (1944). Die variety - Large Cents, 1816-1868.
N# (N1-N105?) -- Newman number (1952). Die variety - Fugio Cents, 1787.
NARU -- Not A Registered User (implies account terminated due to violation of rules).
EBay(www.ebay.com) phrase.
NC -- Not Collectable. A unique or nearly unique coin. Usually one of Sheldon's die
varieties of Large Cents. At the time of Sheldon's "Penny Whimsey" (1958),
for a coin to be NC, there had to be less than 3 specimens known.
NGC -- Numismatic Guarantee Corporation. Grading service.
NLG -- Numismatic Literary Guild. A prestigious organization of writers of numismatically
related articles, books, etc.
NN -- Numismatic News. Publication.
NTC -- Numistrust Corporation. Grading service. (relatively new, reputation unknown)
O# (O101-O128?) -- Overton number (1970). Die variety - Bust Half Dollars, 1794-1836.
OMM -- Over MintMark. Two different mintmarks involved. (versus RPM, which is the same
mintmark punched more than once). Type of die variety.
OT -- Off Topic. Internet phrase.
OTOH -- On The Other Hand. Internet phrase.
P -- Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). Mintmark, 1942-45 (5c only), 1979- (all but 1c).
Sometimes denotes absence of mintmark.
PCGS -- Professional Coin Grading Service. Grading service.
PCI -- Photo-certified Coin Institute. Grading service.
PF (PF60-PF70) -- Proof. Type of coin production and/or Grade. Contrasts with business
strike.
PL -- Proof Like. Business strike, with mirrored planchet.
PNG -- Professional Numismatists Guild. Dealer organization.
PQ -- Premium Quality. Sometimes part of the sealed slab grade, such as a MS64 PQ
(not quite good enough for MS65). Often it is just a hype adjective like "Choice" or
"Select".
PR (PR60-PR70) -- Proof. Type of coin production and/or Grade. Contrasts with business
strike.
PVC -- Poly Vinyl Chloride. An ingredient of soft plastic "flip" coin holders which will
damage coins over time.
R# (R1-R8)
Rarity scale. R1 most common; R8 least common. The often used Sheldon scale is:
R8 = 1-3 known (estimated), "Unique or Nearly Unique"
R7 = 4-12 known, "Extremely Rare"
R6 = 13-30 known, "Very Rare"
R5 = 31-75 known, "Rare"
R4 = 76-200 known, "Very Scarce"
R3 = 201-500 known, "Scarce"
R2 = 501-1250 known, "Uncommon"
R1 = over 1251 known, "Common"
RB -- Red-Brown. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or RD).
RD -- Red. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or RD).
RIC -- Roman Imperial Coinage.
ROFL -- Rolling On the Floor Laughing. Internet phrase.
RPC -- Roman Provincial Coinage.
RPD -- RePunched Date. Type of die variety.
RPM -- RePunched Mintmark. Type of die variety.
RSC -- Roman Silver Coinage.
S -- San Francisco (California). Mintmark, 1854-1955, 1968-.
S# (S1-S295?) -- Sheldon number (1949). Die variety - Large Cents, 1793-1814.
S# (S1-S9?) -- Snow number (1992). Die variety - Flying Eagle and Indian Head Cents,
1856-1909.
SEGS -- Sovereign Entities Grading Service. Grading service.
SP -- Specimen. Better than business strike, but not quite a proof.
TIA -- Thanks In Advance. Internet phrase.
TTFN -- Ta Ta For Now. Internet phrase.
UC (UCAM) -- Ultra Cameo. High grade proof.
UNC (Unc., MS60?) -- Uncirculated. Grade.
V# (V1-V10?) -- Valentine number (1975). Die variety - Half Dimes, 1794-1873.
VAM# (VAM1-VAM230?) -- Van Allen and Mallis number (1976). Die variety - Morgan Dollars,
1878-1921.
VG (VG8, VG10) -- Very Good. Grade.
VF (VF20, VF30, perhaps VF35) -- Very Fine. Grade.
W -- West Point (New York). Mintmark, 1984-.
WTB -- Wanted To Buy. Internet phrase.
XF (XF40, XF45) -- eXtremely Fine. Grade.
YMMV -- Your Mileage May Vary. Internet phrase.
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