Minting and Coin Terminology
 

Assay To test a metal for purity
Blank A flat piece of metal on which a coin design is struck
 
Circulated A coin generally used as common currency; as a grade it is "any type of wear"
Commemorative A special coin or medal issued to honour an outstanding person, theme or event
Denomination the value assigned by a government to a specific coin, such as dollar or cents
Die An engraved stamp used for impressing a design on a blank piece of metal to produce a coin
Edge The "third side" of the coin that may be plain, milled or ornamented
Engraver An artist who sculpts a model of a coin design
Field The area of the coin with no design or inscription
Grade A rating that indicates the amount of wear and preservation of the coin
Issuing Authority The country under which the coin is released as legal tender
Legal Tender All currency issued by a government authority as official money.
Medal A metal coin-like item released to recognise an event, place, theme, person or group
Mintage The total number of coins produced for a specific programme
Mintmark Small letters on the coin (e.g. NZM) that identifies where the coin was struck
 
Numismatics The study or collection of coins, tokens, paper money and medals.
Obverse The "heads" side of the coin, usually with an effigy of the head of state or a coat of arms
Reverse The back or "tails" side of the coin, usually depicting the theme or event
Relief The part of a coin's design that is raised above the surface
Rim The raised area around the edges on both sides of the coin
Roll The package of a specific number of coins by denomination
Strike The process of stamping a coin blank with a design
Sterling Silver Silver which is 92.5% silver and 7.5% Nickel. The Nickel makes the metal hard enough to fashion jewellery and plateware from.
Surface The entire area of the coin, although often refers to field areas only
Troy Ounce A unit of weight, equal to about 1.1 avoirdupois (ordinary) ounces. The word ounce when applied to gold and silver always refers to troy ounces.
Type A variation in design, size or composition of a specific coin design