Coin Terminology and Glossary

The Coin Collecting Dictionary includes 546 titles used widely in the coin collectors community, and has received over 1082555 search inquires.

Selected title: Cleaning
Explanation: Refers to removing dirt or otherwise altering the appearance of a coin through the use of chemical or abrasive materials that damage or scratch the surface in a detectable fashion. Cleaning is different than whizzing or mechanical alteration of the surface. A gentle cleaning in water or solvent that leaves no marks or residue is usually not considered harmful. Cleaning by either mechanical or chemical means that are detectable will generally result in lowering the grade and value of a coin

Most popular coin titles

DefinitionSearchesPercentage
Specimen Proof (SP-70 or PF-70) 55698  13.44%
Silver Clad 32624  7.87%
Coin Silver 24706  5.96%
Slabbed Coins 23600  5.69%
BN 23203  5.60%
Encapsulated Coin 22157  5.35%
RB 21632  5.22%
Deep Cameo (DC or DCAM) 18623  4.49%
PF (PF60, PF70) 18546  4.48%
Reeded Edge 17442  4.21%
Ultra Cameo (UCAM) 17268  4.17%
PR (PR60, PR70) 16485  3.98%
Rarity 16422  3.96%
PQ 16187  3.91%
MS (MS60-MS70) 15902  3.84%
Incuse 15207  3.67%
Coin drop 15017  3.62%
High Relief 14848  3.58%
Reverse Cameo 14564  3.51%
Obverse or Face side 14259  3.44%