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Glossary of commonly used terms

General
1.   Blundered Die
2.   Business Strike
3.   CAC
4.   Circulated coins
5.   Clash marks
6.   Cud
7.   DDO
8.   DDR
9.   Die
10.   Die State
11.   Doubled Die
12.   Incuse
13.   LSCC
14.   Mintmark
15.   Mule
16.   NGC
17.   Obverse
18.   Overdate
19.   P Mint
20.   Pattern
21.   PCGS
22.   Piece de Caprice
23.   PL
24.   Proof
25.   Prooflike
26.   Punch
27.   Redbook
28.   Reverse
29.   RPD
30.   RPM
31.   S mint
32.   Shelf Doubling
33.   Slider
34.   Transitional
35.   Variety

Definition

General
1.   Blundered Die
One containing an error in entry of one or more letters or numeral punches; most often the error is corrected but remains partially visible.

2.   Business Strike
A coin which was minted for public circulation.

3.   CAC
Certified Acceptance Corporation is a grader of the grading services, founded by a leading member of the numismatic community. CAC coins often command a premium as the coin has been verified as being at the high end for the grade by an independent third-party company. Jump to this topic.

4.   Circulated coins
Coins released to the general public. Also, showing signs of wear through use in commerce.

5.   Clash marks
From dies striking each other at normal striking force without a planchet between them.

6.   Cud
A lump (raised area) near the rim on a coin struck from a die where a piece has broken off.

7.   DDO
Double Die Obverse.

8.   DDR
Double Die reverse.

9.   Die
The tool which stamps a design into a planchet. So that the devices and inscriptions will be in relief and readable, the die is infuse.

10.   Die State
A stage in the life of a die from new to worn, clashed, cracked, chipped, rusted or broken.

11.   Doubled Die
One which received one of its several blows from hub or device punched in accidentally imperfect alignment: Wexler (1984).

12.   Incuse
Letters or devices sunk below the surface.

13.   LSCC
Liberty Seated Collectors Club. Founded in 1973 as a non-profit organization to encourage, promote and dispense numismatic knowledge of Liberty Seated Coins. Publishes the Gobrecht Journal on a quarterly basis and a collective volume every five years.

14.   Mintmark
Letter or symbol identifying the mint of origin of a coin. On federal coins, mint marks are normally punched by hand into each working die at the Philadelphia Mint.

15.   Mule
Producing a coin by combining two dies not meant to be together.

16.   NGC
Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America. A third-party grading service located in Sarasota, Florida. Jump to this topic.

17.   Obverse
The heads side of a coin.

18.   Overdate
A variety in which at least one digit of a date has been changed either for mint economy or to correct a blunder.

19.   P Mint
Philadelphia Mint.

20.   Pattern
Proposed coin design not adopted. Often comes in other than the proposed metals such as copper or aluminum.

21.   PCGS
Professional Coin Grading Service. An independent grading and certification service located in Newport Beach. California. Jump to this topic.

22.   Piece de Caprice
A coin designed on a whim or to create a rarity, not out of any urgency for a circulating medium. Examples include the 1859 and 1860 Half Dimes without UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

23.   PL
Prooflike.

24.   Proof
Specially minted coin, normally given two or more blows from the dies to bring up the designs more sharply than on production coins. Normally minted on burnished blanks from burnished dies.

25.   Prooflike
Struck from brilliantly polished dies on a blank which may or may not also have been polished before striking.

26.   Punch
Tool for impressing a design element into a die.

27.   Redbook
A GUIDE BOOK OF UNITED STATES COINS by R.S. Yeoman, published by Whitman Publishing Company. Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia. It is considered to be a retail price guide.

28.   Reverse
The tails side of a coin.

29.   RPD
Repunched Date. A date that shows signs of earlier numerals underneath, indicating that the date was punched in more than once.

30.   RPM
Repunched Mintmark. The mintmark has been punched into the die twice resulting in a doubled mintmark on the coin. Since the doubling appears on the die itself, identical specimens are produced and the variety is considered collectable.

31.   S mint
San Francisco Mint.

32.   Shelf Doubling
Also called machine doubling, or ejection doubling. Refers to doubled mintmarks and other details of the coin as well caused by a torsion between the two dies during ejection of the planchet. The doubled detail looks like a thin shelf attached to the mintmark or whatever detail of the coin that appears to be doubled.

33.   Slider
Current slang for a coin that is about uncirculated (AU) but is close to and possibly sale able as mint state, particularly after cleaning and recoloring. Synonymous with the AU58 grade.

34.   Transitional
A design adopted in a subsequent year, or a design of which one side is current, the other later adopted, though the combination may not appear on later production coins.

35.   Variety
Any coin which is recognizably different in dies from another of the same design, type, date and mint.