| Tab toning | Term referring to toning often seen on commemorative coins which were sold in cardboard holders with a round tab. Such coins have a circle in the center and are said to have “tab toning”. |
| Tail feathers | Refers to the tail feathers on the Eagle on the reverse of certain U.S. coins. Particularly, the Morgan Silver Dollar. |
| Target toning | Toning effect that resembles an archery target - with deeper colors on the periphery often fading to white or cream color at the center. |
| Technical grading | A system of grading which only takes into account that which has happened to a coin after the minting process (i.e. the state of preservation). Technical graders often ignore factors such as strike and eye-appeal. |
| Ten | Slang for an eagle or ten-dollar gold coin. |
| Ten Indian | Synonym for an Indian Head eagle. |
| Ten Lib | Synonym for a Liberty Head eagle. |
| Territorial Gold | Coins and bars privately struck during the various gold rushes. |
| TF | Abbreviation for Tail Feathers. |
| Three | Synonym for the Indian Head three-dollar gold coin. |
| Three Cent Nickel | Three-cent coins composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel struck from 1865 -1889. The Liberty Head design by James Longacre was copied from the earlier Liberty Head motif by Christian Gobrecht. |
| Three Cent Silver | Three-cent coin with a star motif that was struck in silver alloy. |
| Thumbed | Term for a coin that has been doctored in a specific way to hide marks, hairlines, or other disturbances. The thumb is rubbed lightly over the disturbances, and the oils in the skin help to disguise any problems. |
| Tissue toning | Color, often vibrant, acquired by coins stored in original Mint paper. The toning is caused by sulfur in the paper reacting with the coin. |
| Token | A substitute for a coin. |
| Toned | An adjective which describes a coin with toning. |
| Toning | The coloring which has formed on the surface of a coin as a result of the metal's interaction with outside elements. Also see: Patina |
| Tooling mark | A line, usually small and fine, found on both genuine and counterfeit coins. They are caused by touch-ups to dies. |
| Trade dollar | A U.S. silver coin issued from 1873 until 1885 that is slightly heavier than the regular silver dollar. Named because it was intended to facilitate trade in the Far East, the Trade dollar was made with a marginally higher silver content in an attempt to gain acceptance in commerce throughout the world. |
| Transfer die | A die created by sacrificing a coin for a model. |
| Transitional | Synonym for transitional issue. |
| Transitional issue | A coin struck after an “official” series ends, or before an “official” series starts. It can also refer to a coin struck with either the obverse or the reverse of a discontinued or upcoming series. |
| Treasure coin | A coin known to have come from a shipwreck or from a buried or hidden source. |
| Trial strike or striking | Also see: Die trial |
| Trime | Synonym for a three-cent piece. |
| Turban Head | Synonym for Draped Bust. |
| Twenty | Synonym for a double eagle or twenty-dollar gold coin. |
| Twenty Lib | Synonym for a Liberty Head double eagle or twenty-dollar gold coin. |
| Two and a Half | Synonym for a quarter eagle or two-and-one-half dollar gold coin. |
| Two-cent piece | Synonym for the Shield two-cent coin struck from 1864 - 1873. |
| Type | A date or group of dates encompassing all of a particular standard design. Example: Morgan silver dollars. A type collection is a collection of coins formed by one example (usually one of the most common dates) of each type of coin. |
| Type coin | A representative coin, usually a common date, from a particular issue of a specific design, size, or metal. |
| Type One | Term for any coin from the first Type within a Series. |
| Type One Buffalo | A 1913-dated Indian Head nickel with the reverse bison on a raised mound. |
| Type One Gold Dollar | The Liberty Head design gold dollar struck from 1849 until mid-1854 in Philadelphia and for the full year in Dahlonega and San Francisco. |
| Type One Nickel | The Jefferson Head five-cent coin struck from 1938 until mid-1942 and from 1946 until today. Also may refer to the Type One Buffalo nickel. |
| Type One Quarter | The Standing Liberty quarter struck from 1916 to mid-1917. |
| Type One Twenty | Liberty Head double eagles struck from 1850 until mid-1866. These coins did not have a motto on the reverse and had “TWENTY D.” as the denomination. |
| Type Three | Term for any coin from the third Type within a Series. |
| Type Three Gold Dollar | The Small Indian Head design struck from 1856 until the series ended in 1889. Since the San Francisco Mint did not receive the Type Three dies in time to strike the new design in 1856, the coins from that Mint are Type Two style. |
| Type Three Twenty | Liberty Head double eagles struck from 1877 until the series ended in 1907. Type Three coins have the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the reverse and read “TWENTY DOLLARS” for the denomination. |
| Type Two | Term for any coin from the second Type within a Series. |
| Type Two Buffalo | An Indian Head nickel struck from mid-1913 until the series ended in 1938. The reverse bison is shown on level ground. |
| Type Two Gold Dollar | The Large Indian Head design gold dollar struck from mid-1854 until 1855 in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans. Since San Francisco did not receive new dies before the end of 1856, they struck Type Two coins during that year. |
| Type Two Nickel | The Jefferson Head five-cent coin struck from mid-1942 until 1945. The Type Two nickel is composed of silver, manganese, and copper, and has a large mintmark above Monticello on the reverse. These are the first U.S. coins to have a “P” mintmark indicating their being struck by the Philadelphia Mint. Also see: War nickel, Wartime nickel |
| Type Two Quarter | The Standing Liberty quarter struck from mid-1917 until the series ended in 1930. This design features a Miss Liberty with a covered breast, three stars under the reverse eagle, and a more intricate head design. |
| Type Two Twenty | Liberty Head double eagles struck from mid-1866 - 1876. These coins have the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the reverse and “TWENTY DOL.” as the denomination. |
| Ultra Cameo | A term used, most notably by NGC, to denote Proof coins that have deeply frosted devices and lettering that contrast with the mirror fields. Also see: “Deep Cameo.” |
| Ultra High Relief | Alternate name for the Extremely High Relief. |
| Ultra rare | A coin or other numismatic item that is represented by only a few examples. |
| Uncirculated | A coin or numismatic item that has never been in circulation, a coin without wear. Also see: Brilliant Uncirculated, Mint State, and New |
| Used | Term used to describe a coin that has light to heavy wear or circulation. |
| V-nickel | Synonym for the Liberty Head five-cent coins struck from 1883 - 1912. (The 1913 was struck clandestinely and is not reported in Mint documents.) |
| VAM number | Unique number (such as VAM-105) assigned to each set of Morgan and Peace dollar dies documented in The Complete Catalog and Encyclopedia of United States Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars. Abbreviated VAM because of the authors Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis. |
| Van Allen-Mallis | Authors of The Complete Catalog and Encyclopedia of United States Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars first published in 1971, and reprinted in 1998. |
| Variety | A coin of the same date and basic design as another but with slight differences such as variations in date, mintmark size and placement. |
| VDB | Synonym for the 1909 VDB Lincoln Head cent. Controversy arose over having a non-Mint engraver's initials on a coin, so Victor D. Brenner's initials were removed. In 1918, the VDB was returned to the Lincoln Head cent in a less conspicuous spot on the slanted area at the bottom of Lincoln's shoulder. |
| Very Fine | Term for the grades VF-20, 25, 30, and 35. |
| Very Good | Term for the grades VG-8 and VG-10. |
| Vest pocket dealer | A part-time coin merchant. |
| VF | Acronym for Very Fine. |
| VG | Acronym for Very Good. |
| Walker | Synonym for a Walking Liberty half-dollar. |
| Walking Liberty | Synonym for a Walking Liberty half-dollar. |
| Walking Liberty half dollar | U.S. half dollars struck from 1916 - 1947. |
| War nickel | Synonym for Wartime nickel. |
| Wartime nickel | Five-cent coins struck during World War II with the composition 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese. Historic legend has it that the metallic change was driven by a need for nickel to be used in the war effort. However, recent research indicates that the boost to morale by having an intrinsic-value small denomination coin may have played an important part in the issuance of the Wartime nickel. |
| Washington quarter | Synonym for the Washington quarter dollar. |
| Washington quarter dollar | Quarter dollar first struck in 1932, as a circulating commemorative coin to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of George Washington's birth. It was designed by Laura Gardner Frazier and was a continuing series from 1934 through 1998 (with a special Bicentennial reverse in 1976). For 1999, the obverse was redesigned and the State quarter series begins. Each of the 50 State quarters will have a different reverse design with 5 new issues per year. |
| Watery look | Term for the wavy finish seen on the surfaces of most close-collar Proof coins. |
| Weak strike | Refers to a coin that does not show its intended detail because of low striking pressure or improperly aligned dies. |
| Wear | Visible erosion of metal, usually beginning from the highest points of a coins. Eventually, lettering, details, or entire devices are obliterated. Wear should not be confused with a weak strike. It is possible for a worn coin to have more detail than a weakly struck mint state coin. |
| Wheel mark | Synonym for “counting machine mark.” |
| Whizzed | An artificial process whereby the surface of a coin is buffed to give it the appearance of having natural cartwheel lustre. |
| Wire edge | An effect whereby a thin, wire-like section of the rim of a coin is raised above the rest of the rim along the outside. This effect is typically caused by very high striking pressure, and tends to occur mostly on proof and high relief strikings. |
| | Also see: Knife edge, Wire rim |
| Wire Edge eagle | The 1907 Indian Head eagle coin of which only 500 were struck. Technically a pattern, this design featured a fine wire rim and surfaces that were both satiny and striated. An unknowledgeable numismatist will look at one of these specimens and consider it hairlined or harshly cleaned. |
| Wire Edge Ten | Synonym for the 1907-dated Wire Edge Indian Head eagle. |
| Wire rim | Synonym for wire edge. |
| With arrows | Alternate term for arrows at date. |
| With arrows and rays | Synonym for arrows and rays. |
| With motto | Alternate term for motto. |
| With rays | Alternate term for rays. |
| Working die | A die created from a working hub that is used to strike coins. |
| Working hub | A hub created from a master die that is used to create the working dies. |
| World Coins | Coins from countries other than the United States. |
| Worn die | A die that has lost detail due to extended use. Dies were often used until they wore out, or were excessively cracked or broken. Coins struck from worn dies often appear to be weakly struck, however, they are not caused by low striking pressure. |
| Wreath cent | Synonym for the second large cent type of 1793. |
| XF | Abbreviation for Extremely Fine. |
| Zerbe Proof | Morgan dollars specially struck in 1921 for numismatist Farran Zerbe. |
| | Also see: Chapman Proof |
NumisMedia Glossary of Numismatic Terms
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