Bag Marks - dings and scratches on coins resulting from being stored in a bag.
Clad - Coins that have an outer layer of metal that is different from the inner core.
Double die - Results when a coin got struck twice during the manufacturing process.
Encapsulated - When a coin is stored in an airtight plastic container to protect it.
Grading - the quality or condition of the coin. Here are some common grading terms:
Poor - a barely identifiable coin where only the date and mint mark can be determined.
Good - Slightly better than poor where there is little detail except major outlines.
Very Good - Slightly more detail than good.
Fine - much of the coins detail is worn, but some is still visible.
Very Fine - any detail between Fine and Extremely fine. Much of the detail is visible, but worn.
Extremely Fine - a coin with nearly the full detail and only some high points worn.
Uncirculated - a coin in "new" or "mint" condition that has never been circulated.
Luster - how shiny a coin is.
Mint Mark - A marking on the coin indicating the mint where the coin was manufactured. In the US the mint marks include:
D - Denver mint
O - New Orleans mint
P - Philadephia mint
S - San Francisco mint
W - West point mint
Numismatics - the study of coins and money.
Obverse - the front of the coin.
Planchet - this is the metal disk from which a coin is stamped.
Proof - a very high quality coin that is specially made by the mint to have greater detail than a regular coin.
Rarity number - this is a scale of 1 to 10 on how rare or hard to find a coin is. The higher the rarity number, the harder the coin is to find.
Reeding - Marks on a coin caused by the reeded edge of one coin hitting another coin.
Reverse - The back of the coin.
Set - A collection of coins from a series. These may be sets of a type of coin or of a date or from a certain mint.
Slab - A storage method for valuable coins. Coins often come this way from a professional grading service. They are encased in plastic with a label describing the coin and grading.
Toning - The color or tone of the coin. Has the coin turned color from the original?
Varieties - Different ways that the same coin has been manufactured.
