Coin Terminology and Glossary

The Coin Collecting Dictionary includes 546 titles used widely in the coin collectors community, and has received over 858071 search inquires.

Random title: R# (R1-R8)
Explanation: Rarity scale: R1 most common; R8 least common. The often used Sheldon scale is:
  • R8 = 1-3 known (estimated), 'Unique or Nearly Unique'
  • R7 = 4-12 known, 'Extremely Rare'
  • R6 = 13-30 known, 'Very Rare'
  • R5 = 31-75 known, 'Rare'
  • R4 = 76-200 known, 'Very Scarce'
  • R3 = 201-500 known, 'Scarce'
  • R2 = 501-1250 known, 'Uncommon'
  • R1 = over 1251 known, 'Common'

Most popular coin titles

DefinitionSearchesPercentage
Specimen Proof (SP-70 or PF-70) 52644 14.55%
Silver Clad 30151 8.33%
Coin Silver 22160 6.12%
Slabbed Coins 21032 5.81%
BN 20393 5.63%
Encapsulated Coin 19883 5.49%
RB 18808 5.20%
Deep Cameo (DC or DCAM) 16182 4.47%
PF (PF60, PF70) 15687 4.33%
Reeded Edge 14958 4.13%
Ultra Cameo (UCAM) 14903 4.12%
PQ 13731 3.79%
MS (MS60-MS70) 13595 3.76%
PR (PR60, PR70) 13559 3.75%
Rarity 13192 3.64%
Incuse 12601 3.48%
High Relief 12489 3.45%
Coin drop 12314 3.40%
Reverse Cameo 11846 3.27%
Obverse or Face side 11746 3.25%