Coin Terminology and Glossary

The Coin Collecting Dictionary includes 546 titles used widely in the coin collectors community, and has received over 820899 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) 46584  13.46%
Silver Clad 29644  8.57%
Coin Silver 21650  6.26%
Slabbed Coins 20501  5.92%
BN 19919  5.76%
Encapsulated Coin 19366  5.60%
RB 18367  5.31%
Deep Cameo (DC or DCAM) 15540  4.49%
PF (PF60, PF70) 15186  4.39%
Reeded Edge 14498  4.19%
Ultra Cameo (UCAM) 14360  4.15%
PQ 13270  3.83%
MS (MS60-MS70) 13064  3.77%
PR (PR60, PR70) 13052  3.77%
Rarity 12558  3.63%
Incuse 12097  3.50%
High Relief 12054  3.48%
Coin drop 11653  3.37%
Reverse Cameo 11361  3.28%
Obverse or Face side 11305  3.27%