Coin Terminology and Glossary

The Coin Collecting Dictionary includes 546 titles used widely in the coin collectors community, and has received over 1009572 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) 55020  13.68%
Silver Clad 32007  7.96%
Coin Silver 24096  5.99%
Slabbed Coins 22997  5.72%
BN 22581  5.61%
Encapsulated Coin 21639  5.38%
RB 21002  5.22%
Deep Cameo (DC or DCAM) 18095  4.50%
PF (PF60, PF70) 17802  4.42%
Reeded Edge 16849  4.19%
Ultra Cameo (UCAM) 16752  4.16%
PR (PR60, PR70) 15798  3.93%
Rarity 15650  3.89%
PQ 15621  3.88%
MS (MS60-MS70) 15379  3.82%
Incuse 14673  3.65%
Coin drop 14397  3.58%
High Relief 14313  3.56%
Reverse Cameo 13965  3.47%
Obverse or Face side 13647  3.39%