-C-

C
Mintmark indicating coins struck at the Charlotte, North Carolina branch Mint.

C-Mint
Term applied to the gold coins struck at the Charlotte, North Carolina branch Mint. This Mint only struck gold coins from its opening in late 1837 until it was seized by the Confederacy. (Coins struck in late 1837 were actually dated 1838.)

Cabinet friction
Slight friction seen on coins (usually the obverse) that were stored in wooden cabinets used by early collectors. To compound the problem, a soft cloth was often used to wipe dust away, causing light hairlines.

CAM
Abbreviation for Cameo.

Cameo
A proof, or prooflike coin with exceptional contrast between the fields and the devices. On a cameo coin, the fields are mirrorlike, while the devices give a frosty appearance.

Canadian
Term for coins and other numismatic items of Canada. (as in, “Got any Canadian?”)

Canadian silver
Slang term for the silver coins of Canada.

Cap Bust
Alternate term for Capped Bust

Capped Bust
A term describing any of the various representations of the head of Miss Liberty depicted on certain early 1807-1839 U.S. coins by a bust with a floppy cap. The design is attributed to John Reich.

Capped die
An error in which a coin gets jammed in the coining press and remains for successive strikes. Eventually a “cap” is formed on either the upper or lower die. These are sometimes spectacular, with the cap often many times taller than a normal coin.

Carbon spot
A dark discoloration on the surface of a coin. It is possible that this discoloration is caused by a planchet imperfection prior to striking, or it may be caused by improper storage of the coin. Regardless of the cause, carbon spots are often difficult, if not impossible, to remove without leaving pits in the coin’s surface. If they are large enough, they may significantly lower the grade and value of a coin.

Carson City
The United States branch Mint located in Carson City, Nevada that struck coins from 1870 through 1885 and later from 1889 through 1893.

Cartwheel
An effect caused by the natural lustre on most mint state, and on some proof coins. When the coin is tilted back and forth, beams of light seem to circle the central devices of the coin. Also a slang term for Silver Dollar.

Cast blanks
Planchets that are molded, rather than cut from strips of metal.

Cast counterfeit
A replica of a genuine coin created by making molds of the obverse and reverse, then casting base metal in the molds. A seam is usually visible on the edge unless it has been ground down.

Castaing machine
A machine invented by French engineer Jean Castaing that added the edge lettering and devices to early U.S. coins before they were struck. Castaing machines were used until the introduction of close collar dies, which applied the edge device during the striking process.

CC
Mintmark used to indicate coins struck at the Carson City, Nevada branch Mint.

CCE
Certified Coin Exchange, the bid/ask real-time coin trading and quotation system owned by the American Teleprocessing Company.

Census
A compilation of the known specimens of a particular numismatic item.

Cent
A denomination valued at one-hundredth of a dollar, struck by the U.S. Mint.

Chain Cent
The popular name for the Flowing Hair Chain cent of 1793, the first coins struck in the newly occupied Mint building.

Chapman Proof
1921 Morgan dollar Proofs supposedly struck for coin dealer Henry Chapman, having cameo devices and deeply mirrored surfaces like most Morgan dollar Proofs.

Charlotte
The United States branch Mint located in Charlotte, North Carolina that only struck gold coins from 1838 until its seizure by the Confederacy in 1861. It never reopened as a mint after the Civil War, although it did serve as an official assay office from 1867 until 1913.

Chasing
A method used by forgers to create a mintmark on a coin. Chasing involves heating the surfaces and moving the metal to form a mintmark.

Choice
An adjective which the A.N.A. applies to coins of MS-65 or Proof-65 grade. Many dealers apply the term to the MS/Proof-63 coins, and call MS/Proof-65 coins “Gem”.

Choice Unc
Abbreviation for Choice Uncirculated.

Choice Uncirculated
An Uncirculated coin in grade MS-63 or MS-64.

Circulated
A term applied to a coin that has wear, ranging from slight rubbing to heavy wear.

Circulation
A term applied to coins that have been spent in commerce.

Circulation strike
A coin meant for commerce. An alternate term for Business Strike or Regular Strike.

Clad
A term used to describe any of the modern “sandwich” coins that have layers of both copper and nickel.

Clad bag
Usually applied to a $1,000 bag of 40% silver half-dollars although it also could apply to any bag of “sandwich” coins.

Clash marks
The images of the dies seen on coins struck from clashed dies.

Clashed dies
Extraneous design detail often appears on a die as a result of two dies coming together without a planchet between them during the minting process. Coins struck from such dies are said to be struck from clashed dies, or to have die clashes or clash marks.

Classic Era
Term for the period from 1792 through 1964 when silver and gold coins of the United States were issued for circulation. (Gold coins were only minted until 1933.)

Classic Head
An image of Miss Liberty that depicts the style of a Roman or Greek athlete wearing a ribbon around the hair.

Cleaned
When a coin has been cleaned with baking soda or other mild abrasives, it may have a slightly washed out appearance. If the lustre or color of a coin appears even the slightest bit unnatural as a result of past cleaning, the coin is usually described as “cleaned” when catalogued for sale.

Clip
Slang term for a coin struck from a clipped planchet.

Clipped
Term for an irregularly cut planchet. A clip can be straight or curved, depending upon where it was cut.

Clogged die
A die that has a contaminant lodged in the recessed areas. Coins struck from a clogged die will have diminished or even missing detail.

Close collar
An edge device sometimes called a collar die that surrounds the lower die. The close collar imparts reeding (see Reeded edge) or a smooth, plain edge.

Closed collar
Alternate term for close collar

Cohen variety
A die variety for half cents, denoted as C-1, C-2a, etc. Also see: Die Variety

Coin
Metal formed into a disk of standardized weight and stamped with a standard design to enable it to circulate as money authorized by a government body.

Coin collection
A grouping of coins assembled for fun or profit.

Coin collector
An individual who accumulates coins in a methodical manner.

Coin friction
Term applied to the area resulting when coins rub together in rolls or bags and small amounts of metal are displaced.

Coin show
An exchange composed of coin dealers displaying their items for sale and trade.

Coinage
The issuance of metallic money of a particular country.

Commem
Synonym for “commemorative.”

Commemorative
Coins issued to honor some person (D. Boone), place (Mount Rushmore), or event (Special Olympics) and, in many instances, to raise funds for activities related to the theme. Sometimes called NCLT (non-circulating legal tender) commemoratives.

Commercial grade
A synonym for Market Grade.

Commercial strike
A synonym for regular strike or business strike.

Common
A numismatic issue that is readily available. Since this is a relative term, no firm number can be used as an exact cut-off point between common and scarce.

Common date
A particular issue within a series that is readily available. No exact number can be used to determine which coins are common dates as this is relative to the mintage of the series.

Complete set
A term for all possible coins within a series, all types (see Type), or all coins from a particular branch Mint. For example, a complete gold type set would include examples of all types from 1795 until 1933.

Condition
The state of preservation of a particular numismatic item.

Condition Census
A listing of the finest known examples of a particular issue. There is no fixed number of coins in a Condition Census.

Condition rarity
A term to indicate a common coin that is rare when found in high grades.

Consensus grading
The process of evaluating the condition of a coin by using multiple graders.

Conserved
Numismatic conservation involves examination, scientific analysis, and a reliance upon an extensive base of numismatic knowledge to determine the nature of a coin’s state of preservation and the extent of any damage. Conservation also encompasses appropriate procedures to protect the coin’s original appearance and to guard against future deterioration to whatever extent possible. Professional conservation should not be confused with “Coin Doctoring”, in which an attempt is made to improve the appearance and grade of a coin through deceptive means such as artificial toning and where unaccepted or unorthodox methods are employed. Also not qualifying as conservation is restoration where mechanical repairs are made such as filling holes, smoothing out scratches, and re-engraving of detail.

Contact marks
Marks on a coin that are caused by contact with another coin or a foreign object. These are generally small, compared to other types of marks such as gouges.

Contemporary counterfeit
A coin, usually base metal, struck from crude dies and made to pass for legal tender at the time of creation. Sometimes such counterfeits are collected along with the genuine coins, particularly in the case of American Colonial issues.

Continental dollars
“Dollars” struck in pewter (scarce), brass (rare), copper (extremely rare) and silver (extremely rare) that are dated 1776, but likely struck sometime later. Certain Benjamin Franklin sketches inspired the design.

Copper spot
A spot or stain seen on gold coinage, indicating an area of copper concentration that has oxidized. Copper spots or stains can range from tiny dots to large blotches.

Copper-nickel
The alloy (copper 88%, nickel 12%) used for small cents from 1856 through mid-1864.

Copper-Nickel Cent
Cents issued from 1856 through 1864 in the copper-nickel alloy. These were called white cents during the period because of their pale color compared to the earlier red cents.

Coppers
Slang for pre-Federal copper, half cents, and large cents, minted through 1857.

Copy
Any reproduction, fraudulent or otherwise, of a coin.

Copy dies
Dies made at a later date, usually showing slight differences from the originals. Also used to denote counterfeit dies copied directly from a genuine coin.

Coronet Head
Alternate name for Braided Hair design by Christian Gobrecht. This is sometimes also called the Liberty Head design.

Corrosion
Damage which occurs on the surface of some coins, generally due to improper storage. Corrosion is caused when a chemical reaction, such as rust, actually eats into the metal.

Cost
The price paid for a numismatic item.

Counterfeit
Literally, a coin that is not genuine. The term is applied to cast and struck counterfeits as well as issues with altered dates or added mintmarks.

Counting machine mark
A dense patch of lines caused by the rubber wheel of a counting machine. Caused when the wheel spacing was insufficient for the selected coin.

Cud
An area of a coin struck by a die that has a complete break across part of its surface. A cud may be either retained, where the faulty piece of the die is still in place, or full, where the piece of the die has fallen away.

Cupro-nickel
Any alloy of copper and nickel.

- D -

D
Mintmark used to identify coins struck at the Dahlonega, Georgia branch Mint from 1838 through 1861 or the Denver, Colorado Mint from 1906 forward.

Dahlonega
The branch Mint located in Dahlonega, Georgia that struck gold coins from 1838 until 1861 when it was seized by the Confederacy.

Date
The numerals on a coin representing the year in which it was struck. Restrikes (see Restrike) are made in years subsequent to the one that appears on them.

DCAM
Abbreviation for Deep Cameo.

Dealer
Someone who’s occupation is buying, selling, and trading numismatic material.

Deep Cameo
Term applied to coins, usually Proofs and prooflike coins that have deeply frosted devices and lettering that contrast with the mirror fields.

Deep mirror prooflike
Any coin that has deeply reflective mirror-like fields. While a general term, it is especially applicable for Morgan dollars.

Denomination
The value assigned by a government to a specific coin.

Denticles
The tooth-like projections which make up the inner rim on some coins. They were discontinued on most U.S. coins in the early twentieth century.

Dentils
Alternative term for denticles.

Design
The motif of a coin or other numismatic item. Barber coins and Washington quarters are examples of designs.

Design type
A specific motif placed upon coinage, which may be used for several denominations and subtypes.

Designer
The individual responsible for creating a particular motif used on a numismatic series.

Device
Any specific design element. Often refers to the principal design element.

Device punch
A steel rod with a raised device on the end used to punch the element into a working die. This technique was used before hubbed dies were used as a standard.

Die
A steel rod that is engraved, punched, or hubbed with the date, lettering, devices, and other emblems used to strike a coin.

Die alignment
Term to indicate the relative position of the obverse and reverse dies.

Die break
An area of a coin that is the result of a broken die.

Die cracks
Raised lines, which appear on a coin as a result of that coin having been struck by a cracked die.

Die line
Raised lines, which appear on a coin as a result of polish lines on the die.

Die rust
Pitting or roughness appearing on a coin as a result of that coin having been struck by a rusted die.

Die state
A readily identified point in the life of a coinage die. Dies go through a lifecycle – clashing, being polished, cracking, breaking, etc. These are called die states. Some die varieties have gone through barely distinguishable die states, while others display multiple distinctive ones.

Die striations
Raised lines on coins that were struck with polished dies.

Die trial
The test striking of a particular die in a different metal.

Die variety
A coin which has already been attributed by date, denomination, mintmark, and major variety (such as Morgan Dollar, 1879-S, Reverse of ’78) can often still be identified by die variety. Research has been done in many series assigning numbers to the various combinations of dies known to have struck coins of each of the various years and mintmarks.

Die wear
The loss of detail on a coin due to wear on the die used to strike it (rather than wear on the coin itself).

Dime
The denomination, one tenth of a dollar, issued since 1796 by the United States.

Ding
Slang for a small- to medium-sized mark on a coin.

Dipped
A coin which has been cleaned in a soap solution, the most popular of which is called Jewel Luster, is said to have been dipped. The term “dipped” is not necessary in, say, a catalog description of a coin, unless the dipping has caused noticeable dulling of lustre, or an otherwise unnatural appearance (typically on copper coins). The practice of dipping coins is not advisable, except by bonafide experts, and then only on rare occasions.

Dipping solution
Any of the commercial cleaners or “dips”on the market, usually acid-based.

Disme
The original spelling of dime. It is thought to have been have been pronounced to rhyme with ream (the s being silent). This spelling was used in Mint documents until the 1830s and was officially changed by the Coinage Act of 1837.

DMPL
Abbreviation for Deep Mirror Prooflike. An exceptionally deep mirror-like prooflike coin with little, if any, cartwheel lustre. Also see: DPL

Doctored
Typically considered a derogatory term. A doctored coin has been enhanced by chemical or other means.

Dollar
A denomination consisting of one hundred cents authorized by the Mint Act of 1792. This is the anglicized spelling of the European Thaler and was used because of the worldwide acceptance of the Thaler and the Spanish Milled dollar (or piece-of-eight).

Double Eagle
Literally two eagles, or twenty dollars. A twenty-dollar U.S. gold coin issued from 1850 through 1932.

Double(d) die
A die that has been struck more than one time by a hub in misaligned positions, resulting in doubling of design elements. If shifting occurs in the alignment between a hub and a die, the die will have some of its features doubled. This doubling is then imparted to every coin it strikes. The coins struck from such dies are called doubled-die errors. The 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln cent is one such error.

Double-struck
A condition that results when a coin is not ejected from a die and is struck a second time (hence double-struck). Triple-struck coins and other multiple strikings also are known. Proofs are usually intentionally double-struck in order to sharpen their details; this is sometimes visible under magnification.

Draped Bust
The design of Miss Liberty with a drape across her bust. This is attributed to Mint engraver Robert Scot, who presumably copied the design after a portrait by Gilbert Stuart.

Drift mark
An area on a coin, often rather long, that appears streaky or discolored. This is the result of impurities or foreign matter in the dies.

Dull
Term for a numismatic item that lacks luster. Dulling may be the result of natural or artificial conditions.