Coin Terminology and Glossary

The Coin Collecting Dictionary includes 546 titles used widely in the coin collectors community, and has received over 927581 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) 54143  14.02%
Silver Clad 31294  8.10%
Coin Silver 23357  6.05%
Slabbed Coins 22202  5.75%
BN 21711  5.62%
Encapsulated Coin 21000  5.44%
RB 20073  5.20%
Deep Cameo (DC or DCAM) 17378  4.50%
PF (PF60, PF70) 16974  4.39%
Reeded Edge 16096  4.17%
Ultra Cameo (UCAM) 16082  4.16%
PQ 14857  3.85%
MS (MS60-MS70) 14714  3.81%
PR (PR60, PR70) 14700  3.81%
Rarity 14669  3.80%
Incuse 13831  3.58%
High Relief 13588  3.52%
Coin drop 13575  3.51%
Reverse Cameo 13106  3.39%
Obverse or Face side 12861  3.33%