Coin collecting terms

McCOOK, Neb. - If you want to start coin collecting, then you need to know what different terms you will hear often in the coin collecting community mean.

Clad coins are modern coins that aren’t made out of any kind of precious metal. The core of most modern coins are made of zinc and the surface is made of some other metal.

Mints are the places where the coins are minted/made. There are eight mints that have made coins in U.S. history: the Denver Mint, the Philadelphia Mint, the San Francisco Mint, the Westpoint Mint, The New Orleans Mint, the Carson City Mint, the Dahlonega Mint, and the Charlotte Mint. At the present, only the Denver, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and occasionally the Westpoint Mint still make coins. The San Francisco mint has only made proof coins in recent years.

Proof coins are coins carefully made and polished to perfection specifically for coin collectors. They usually have an S mint mark on them.

Mint marks are small letters on coins that show which mint the coin was made at. The mint marks are “D” for the Denver mint, “P” or no mint mark for the Philadelphia mint, “S” for the San Francisco mint, “W” for the Westpoint mint, “O” for the New Orleans mint, “CC” for the Carson City mint, “D” for the Dahlonega mint, and “C” for the Charlotte mint.

Counterfeit coins are coins that people have made to deceive others into thinking that they are authentic coins. These coins are usually supposed to imitate coins with higher value because of the cost of making them.

Error coins are coins that were minted wrong. There are countless kinds of errors. For example, Double Die Obverses (also known as DDO’s) are coins that look like they have been stamped twice.

Blank planchet coins are metal discs that haven’t been stamped with a design.

Obverses and Reverses are the two sides of a coin. The obverse is usually the side that has the date and the head or person on the coin. The reverse is the other side.

A Grade is the condition of a coin. The levels of grading are from 1-70, with a 1 being heavily circulated and 70 being perfect and uncirculated.

Circulation happens when a coin is passed between hands. For example, a coin is in circulation when someone buys something and gives the coin to the cashier.

These are the main terms you need to know and understand to start coin collecting. Of course, there are many others but that is something that you can research when you get further into the hobby.

Samuel Cary is 13 years old and in 8th grade. He is mostly home-schooled, but he does attend McCook Junior High School for band (trombone) and choir. Samuel enjoys being on the YMCA McCook swim team, mountain climbing, and camping. He is also very interested in cars, specifically newer models. He likes to write stories about his hobbies and he reads a lot of books; his favorite is the series “Ranger’s Apprentice”. Samuel is the middle child of three boys and he has four pets - a dog named Mercy, a cat named Grace, a bearded dragon named Toothless, and a fish named Wilma. His favorite movie is “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”. Samuel will be sharing a series of articles about his coin collecting hobby.