You’re a collector now — it’s time to learn the lingo. Knowing these terms will help you understand your coins and talk about them with confidence.
| Term | Meaning |
| Alloy | A mixture of more than one metal. |
| Authentication | An authoritative determination of a coin’s genuineness. |
| Blank | A piece of coin-shaped metal that is stamped to be made into a coin. |
| Bullion | Coins made from precious metals, often valued by weight rather than face value. |
| Burnishing | A form of surface preparation on proof or uncirculated blanks, using steel balls and detergent to remove any unwanted marks from the surface. |
| Circulating coin | A coin that has been issued by a bank for use as currency. |
| Coin | Usually a piece of metal marked with a device, issued by a government authority, and intended to be used as money. |
| Denomination | The stated face value of a coin. |
| Die | A hardened metal tool, the face of which carries an engraved design that is to be stamped onto a blank. |
| Edge | The outer border of a coin, which may be plain, reeded or inscribed. |
| Effigy | A sculpted image of a person, usually a monarch, to appear on the obverse of a coin. |
| Field | The flat background area of a coin, not occupied by design or lettering. |
| Frosting | An effect in which parts of a coin are slightly dulled (using sandblasting techniques) to provide a contrast to the shinier parts of metal. |
| Grade | A carefully constructed series of guidelines to determine the condition — and therefore the rarity and value — of a coin. |
| Legal tender | Currency that must be accepted for payment of debts. |
| Mint mark | A letter or symbol, indicating the mint of origin. |
| Mule | A coin, token or medal whose obverse design is not matched with its reverse. |
| Numismatics | The study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money and related objects. |
| Obverse | The ‘heads’ side of a coin, usually carrying the effigy of the ruling monarch. |
| Pickling | A process in which proof blanks are cleaned in acid to remove oil, directional rolling lines and dirt from their surface. |
| Plaster | A model made during the design process, to help refine the image and its details. |
| Proof coin | A coin struck carefully using special dies, with frosted images on a mirror-like background. Proof is a method of manufacture, not a condition or grade. |
| Reverse | The ‘tails’ side of a coin, carrying a design to distinguish coins from one another. |
| Rim | A raised area of metal around the edge of a coin. It is intended to protect the rest of the coin from wear. |
| Strike | The process of stamping a blank with dies to create a coin. |
| Toning | Discolouration that may occur naturally over time, often valued by collectors for its aesthetic appeal. |
| Token | A piece similar to a coin, often issued privately or for limited use (e.g. transit or commemorative tokens). |
| Uncirculated coin | A coin which has not been distributed or used as currency. |
| Uniface | A coin, medal or token which has only been struck on one side. |
| Verdigris | A green or bluish corrosive deposit that forms on copper or bronze coins due to moisture or environmental exposure. Highly contagious to nearby coins and can cause permanent damage if not removed. |