What characteristics on a coin positively determine Obverse & Reverse ?

ss350camaro

What characteristics on a coin positively determine Obverse & Reverse ?

poptopsRus

Obverse is the front and reverse is the back...duhhhhh

ss350camaro

<< <i> Obverse is the front and reverse is the back...duhhhhh >>



Wow Jared ! Seems that from the lack of response to this thread that you must be the only one who really knows the answer?

Thanks very much for educating me, and i'm sure that from now on, whoever reads this extremely important thread will be forever gratefull for the knowledge you have passed on to future generations of aspiring numismatists.

UncleJoe

Obverse: The side bearing the main design (define main?)

To me: The side with the date.

Joe.

dthigpen

The obverse has the Queen Elizabeth bust on it and the Reverse has the Weenie Totem on it - Duh.

mgoodm3

A serious answer. What an oddity.

I believe the bust/person/liberty chick defines the obv. If no bust, I guess you would go with date.

JadeRareCoin

Good question. I know of some coins and tokens where the obverse/reverse call is a matter of opinion. This is especially true for medals. For the typical coin, it is the date side, with a few exceptions with some foreign coins. The good thing is that once you identify one side, the other side is easy.

Baley

Heads is obverse. If there's a human head, that's the obverse.

Tails is reverse. If there's an animal and it has a tail, that's the reverse.

if ambiguous about heads and tails, the side with the date is the obverse.

cladking

<< <i>Obverse is the front and reverse is the back...duhhhhh >>



Exactly. The front and back are mostly determined from convention and usually from the intention of the designer.

ss350camaro

Ok, Which is the Obverse of the Oregon Trail Commem ?

The side with the Date, "In God We Trust", "Oregon Trail Memorial", and Wagons?

Or the side with the American Indian, "United States of America", and "Half Dollar" ?

Baley

the Oregon trail is the exception that proves the rule.

the Indian side is the obverse, IMO

Another example is the state quarters: Washington's head is obviously the obverse, and the date is on the reverse
(along with the date the state joined the union)

tmot99

<< <i>Ok, Which is the Obverse of the Oregon Trail Commem ? >>



That's exactly the coin I turned to when I read this thread.

ss350camaro

<< <i> the Oregon trail is the exception that proves the rule.

the Indian side is the obverse, IMO >>




I'm in 50% agreement with you that the Indian side is the obverse, but i see threads and comments about the Oregon Commem being slabbed both ways and people commenting or complaining on "Why did they holder it with the Reverse (or Obverse) to the front of the slab"?
There doesn't seem to be any consistency with this one.
If i was to have one graded i would probably ask that the best side (which ever it is on that particular coin) be slabbed forward. ie: nice toning forward, hairlines,...etc... to the back.




<< <i>That's exactly the coin I turned to when I read this thread. >>



and it's also the reason for my question

lordmarcovan

Often in world coins, the obverse is the side which carries the name of the issuing country. Or that country's national crest or symbol.

But in coins with portraits of monarchs or presidents, the "heads" side is considered the obverse. There's really no universal rule.

On the Oregon Trail half, I would say the Indian is the obverse, not just because that happens to be the side that has THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on it.

Edit to add: many US coins have the country's name on the reverse, I know, but they usually have a head or Lady Liberty on the other side, making that the obvious obverse choice.

UncleWiggly

The side with the date that pertains or shows what year it is from (not necessarily minted) is the obverse.

For the Oregon Trail Memorial coin the side with the wagon is the obverse.
Jerry

lordmarcovan

<< <i>The side with the date that pertains or shows what year it is from (not necessarily minted) is the obverse.

For the Oregon Trail Memorial coin the side with the wagon is the obverse.
Jerry >>



You can't use the date to denote the obverse, because its placement will vary widely.

Even on US coins like the gold dollars and $3 gold piece, the date is on the reverse.

This is why the name or symbol of the country should be the obverse, unless there is an obvious head, bust or other focal point that is a more obvious choice. At least I believe this is the criterion that the Krause Standard Catalog uses with world coins.

As I mentioned previously, many US coins are an exception to the name of the country side being the obverse, but they usually confirm to the other rule of thumb about having a head or primary figure to denote the obverse.

The Oregon Trail half has both the primary figure (the Indian) and the name of the country on the same side, which is why I would call that the obverse. But it is an interesting debate. As you can see, there's no way to positively determine obverse and reverse that everyone will agree with.

Snoodle

The side done by the Husband is the Obverse and the side done by the Wife is the reverse

Seriously,
I've always considered the the Wagon to be the Obverse on the Oregon, as it has the date.

-Snoodle...

relayer

The side where we put our trust in God is the Obverse

lordmarcovan

I think we need to do an Oregon Trail half poll.

Stay tuned.

nwcs

I think the date side generally defines it. But there are so many exceptions. I guess it's what most people decide it will be per coin.

ss350camaro

I vote for this side to be the obverse.



Altho, ........ This side looks pretty cool too !



I'm sooooooo confused !

FatMan

That is one amazing Oregon.

I posted this in another thread awhile back on the Oregon obverse/reverse question. It is directly quoted from Anthony Swiatek's "Commemorative Coins of the United States". It is somewhat convoluted but if read carefully does make some sense.

"Acording to Mint reports, the wagon side is the obverse. According to the designers, the Indian side is the obverse. Although I tend to side with the majority of collectors, dealers, and numismatists who consider the Indian as the obverse (because it is the more eye-catching and artistic of the designs), the Mint appears to have the last word, and the official obverse is the wagon side.............

.....What might have prompted the Mint to make the change of obverse-reverse? Previous Branch Mint commemorative coins, such as the 1925-S Panama-Pacific issues, dispayed their Mint mark next to the obverse date or displayed the year of striking on the obverse and Mint mark on the reverse.

The 1923 Monroe had its Mint mark below the date, on the obverse, while the 1925 California jubilee displayed an obverse date and reverse Mint mark. No problems! However, with the Orgegon Trail 1926-S issue, we have the first instance where a Mint mark created a variety within an issue. No problem might have arisen had the issue been struck only at Philadelphia, which used no Mint mark. Unaccompanied by a date, a Mint mark's place is on the reverse. Examining previous commemoratives as the Columbian, Lafayette, or Maine Centennial, we can note that these issues are dated in some fashion on the reverse. Were they to be produced at two Mints during the same year, as the 1926 and 1926-S Oregon Trail coinage, would the Mint have called Columbus on the 1892 or 1893 Columbian half dollar the reverse side because the ship side bears the date? Thus, the correct positioning of the Mint mark would be next to the date or opposite the date side. It appears the Mint used its only option when labeling the Oregon Trail and changing the artist obverse-reverse -- even though it had the look of a coin's reverse design."

keets

there just isn't any hard and fast rule about which side is the obverse and which side is the reverse and what design element decides. when the U.S. Mint issues a coin, they decide which side is the obverse and which side is the reverse and we accept it, sometimes grudgingly.

al h.