Interchangeable numismatic terms that are used to describe coins

Options
2

Comments

  • Walkerfan
    Walkerfan Posts: 10,392 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 17, 2026 2:45PM
    Options

    @MFeld said:

    @Walkerfan said:
    Brilliant/White

    Crust/Color

    Sorry but “crust” isn’t necessarily synonymous with color or toning. It’s a particular type/depth of toning. So many toned coins aren’t crusty.

    Okay 👌 Fair enough 😉

    How about skin?

    Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍

    My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):

    https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,133 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 17, 2026 2:59PM
    Options

    @Walkerfan said:

    @MFeld said:

    @Walkerfan said:
    Brilliant/White

    Crust/Color

    Sorry but “crust” isn’t necessarily synonymous with color or toning. It’s a particular type/depth of toning. So many toned coins aren’t crusty.

    Okay 👌 Fair enough 😉

    How about skin?

    Closer, but while others might disagree, I still don’t think so. “Skin” can be smooth, but “crust” can’t. 😉

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • oldabeintx
    oldabeintx Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @PerryHall said:
    Flan & Planchet

    And Blank

  • oldabeintx
    oldabeintx Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @MFeld said:

    @Walkerfan said:

    @MFeld said:

    @Walkerfan said:
    Brilliant/White

    Crust/Color

    Sorry but “crust” isn’t necessarily synonymous with color or toning. It’s a particular type/depth of toning. So many toned coins aren’t crusty.

    Okay 👌 Fair enough 😉

    How about skin?

    Closer, but while others might disagree, I still don’t think so. “Skin” can be smooth, but “crust” can’t. 😉

    How about Surface/Skin

  • USSID18
    USSID18 Posts: 655 ✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Blank/Planchet Two completely different things but people interchange them.

  • oldabeintx
    oldabeintx Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Buffalo/Indian Head
    Winged Liberty/Mercury

  • oldabeintx
    oldabeintx Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Corrosion/ED

  • Greenstang
    Greenstang Posts: 1,646 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Machine Doubling/ Mechanical Doubling

  • breakdown
    breakdown Posts: 2,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    "minor abrasion visible only with strong magnification"/gash

    "Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,133 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @oldabeintx said:

    @MFeld said:

    @Walkerfan said:

    @MFeld said:

    @Walkerfan said:
    Brilliant/White

    Crust/Color

    Sorry but “crust” isn’t necessarily synonymous with color or toning. It’s a particular type/depth of toning. So many toned coins aren’t crusty.

    Okay 👌 Fair enough 😉

    How about skin?

    Closer, but while others might disagree, I still don’t think so. “Skin” can be smooth, but “crust” can’t. 😉

    How about Surface/Skin

    There’s always a surface but the same can’t be said for a skin.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • oldabeintx
    oldabeintx Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Rub/Cabinet Friction. Maybe?

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 18, 2026 7:40AM
    Options

    @MetroD said:
    Uncirculated/Burnished

    These aren't actually identical

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @The_Dinosaur_Man said:
    World/Foreign

    Dark side/ foreign

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 17, 2026 6:47PM
    Options

    @2windy2fish said:
    Uncirculated/As struck
    Should be noted that “As struck” is fairly widely used in Europe

    As is FDC (Fleur de coin)

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 17, 2026 6:54PM
    Options

    @MFeld said:

    @JBK said:

    @MFeld said:

    Here’s one that came to mind for me yesterday: business strike/circulation strike

    I'm not saying you're wrong, but to me there is maybe a subtle difference.

    I think of "business strike" as sort of a method of manufacture for things like mint sets, blue pack Ikes, etc. which were not intended for circulation.

    But of course it can also be used for circulation coins. But I'm not sure I'd use "circulation strike" for mint sets or uncirculated Ikes.

    Minor point, if at all.

    I think that’s a good point and I like that distinction.

    I use circulation strike for "mint sets". It's modifying the type of strike not the purpose of the coin. Otherwise, medals, NCLT, bullion etc aren't circulation strikes and, in the case of medals they aren't business strikes either. It ends up being very restrictive and also makes it seem like there are two different methods for producing mint set coins and bags and rolls of the same coin.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • krueger
    krueger Posts: 946 ✭✭✭✭
    Options

    "A favorite here….cent/penny…"

    A "cent is a base 10" (American)
    "A penny is a base 12" (British)

    yes/No?

  • Creg
    Creg Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 17, 2026 7:46PM
    Options

    Countermark / counterpunch / counterstamp (nouns, verbs, adjectives) are interchanged inaccurately in some descriptions.

  • Connecticoin
    Connecticoin Posts: 13,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    From the 1970s:

    “Average Circulated” / AG

    *For Sale on Ebay*
  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @krueger said:
    "A favorite here….cent/penny…"

    A "cent is a base 10" (American)
    "A penny is a base 12" (British)

    yes/No?

    yes and no

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • johnny9434
    johnny9434 Posts: 34,068 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @2windy2fish said:
    Bullseye/ Target

    And sometimes pup (pick up point)

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,133 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @oldabeintx said:
    Rub/Cabinet Friction. Maybe?

    I think so.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • Creg
    Creg Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 18, 2026 7:04AM
    Options

    Raw / uncertified/ unslabbed / ungraded

    Certified / slabbed / graded

  • MetroD
    MetroD Posts: 2,568 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @MetroD said:
    Uncirculated/Burnished

    This aren't actually identical

    You, sir, are absolutely correct.

    When I read the OP, I saw the 'interchangeable' part. But, I missed the 'mean (exactly) the same thing' part.

    Thanks for the 'clarification/correction'.

  • RedRocket
    RedRocket Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @PerryHall said:
    Counterfeit & Fake.

    Also "contemporary" and "bogus"

  • The_Dinosaur_Man
    The_Dinosaur_Man Posts: 1,592 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Box/Opium Dollar

    Custom album maker and numismatic photographer.
    Need a personalized album made? Design it on the website below and I'll build it for you.
    https://www.donahuenumismatics.com/.

  • Cougar1978
    Cougar1978 Posts: 10,067 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 18, 2026 2:22PM
    Options

    PQ / all the money.

    Cull / junk box.

    Gem BU / 65

    Junk silver / melting pot recruits

    Brilliant white / super PQ

    Rainbow toner / auc high

    Spotted cull / low end

    Wash / Washington qtr

    Display of Gem Franks / BU Franklin Half Roll

    Keeper Coin / sell only if get all the money

    Tarnished / toner

    Investor
  • Rule556
    Rule556 Posts: 324 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @RedRocket said:

    @PerryHall said:
    Counterfeit & Fake.

    Also "contemporary" and "bogus"

    Spurious...

    Newbie collector of type and circulated Peace dollars, photographer of places and animals, player of instruments and builder of amplifiers, espresso industry professional, and a person distracted by shiny objects.

    CACG Registry

    MyCollect Registry

  • leothelyon
    leothelyon Posts: 8,568 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Full steps, head, bell lines, torch, bands and others/FULL STRIKE! When will they learn?

    Leo

    The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

    My Jefferson Nickel Collection

  • ProofCollection
    ProofCollection Posts: 8,058 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options
    1. Rub/weaar
    2. Original/Toned (although I will argue that the original mint surfaces did not have toning so it is a bit of a misnomer).
  • PerryHall
    PerryHall Posts: 47,753 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @ProofCollection said:
    1. Rub/weaar
    2. Original/Toned (although I will argue that the original mint surfaces did not have toning so it is a bit of a misnomer).

    Ever hear of secondary toning? That's not original.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
    "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    MS62/AU58.

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • Creg
    Creg Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    ^^^ I didn’t know that. It seems like something we should have learned in scouting.

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,133 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @mr1931S said:
    MS62/AU58.

    If those grades are used interchangeably, I’ll gladly sell you a huge quantity of AU58 coins for (below) MS62 prices. Yes, some AU58’s are worth MS62 money but the two grades are used distinctly, not interchangeably.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • safari_dude
    safari_dude Posts: 698 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 19, 2026 7:03AM
    Options

    Circulated (circulation) /wild

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @MFeld said:

    @mr1931S said:
    MS62/AU58.

    If those grades are used interchangeably, I’ll gladly sell you a huge quantity of AU58 coins for (below) MS62 prices. Yes, some AU58’s are worth MS62 money but the two grades are used distinctly, not interchangeably.

    You should send those AU58s in for grading. I don't see enough MS62s to satisfy my demand for them.

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • PerryHall
    PerryHall Posts: 47,753 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @MFeld said:

    @mr1931S said:
    MS62/AU58.

    If those grades are used interchangeably, I’ll gladly sell you a huge quantity of AU58 coins for (below) MS62 prices. Yes, some AU58’s are worth MS62 money but the two grades are used distinctly, not interchangeably.

    I think he's saying that many 62s have a little rub and are therefore technically 58s.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
    "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,133 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @PerryHall said:

    @MFeld said:

    @mr1931S said:
    MS62/AU58.

    If those grades are used interchangeably, I’ll gladly sell you a huge quantity of AU58 coins for (below) MS62 prices. Yes, some AU58’s are worth MS62 money but the two grades are used distinctly, not interchangeably.

    I think he's saying that many 62s have a little rub and are therefore technically 58s.

    Even if so, it’s beside the point and doesn’t make the two grades interchangeable.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    BU rub/MS 62

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,133 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 19, 2026 11:13AM
    Options

    @mr1931S said:
    BU rub/MS 62

    .

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • USSID18
    USSID18 Posts: 655 ✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Statue of Liberty.......

    Crown/Tiara

    She's not a queen, she's Liberty. 🗽😉

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 19, 2026 1:01PM
    Options

    @MFeld said:

    @mr1931S said:
    BU rub/MS 62

    .

    I mistook that dot for a star when I first saw it.

    slicker/PO 1

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • 2windy2fish
    2windy2fish Posts: 1,143 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @MFeld You are fighting a losing battle sir…

  • Creg
    Creg Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    That ain’t no battle. ^^^

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,133 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    @2windy2fish said:
    @MFeld You are fighting a losing battle sir…

    I agree, but I’ll still speak up on occasion.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    specimen/example

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    quarter (dollar)/two bits

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    20 cent piece/double dime

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • IkesT
    IkesT Posts: 4,600 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Mercury/ Winged Liberty Head

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Format
SpoilerCodeQuote
Heading 2Heading 1
Emoji
:):D:(;):/:o:s:p:'(:|B):#:*<3o:)>:)
Url
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file
Comment As ...

Categories