Obverse coin

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Heads or tails? If you called heads, obverse is the word for you. Since the 17th century, we've been using obverse for the front side of coins usually the side depicting the head or bust of a prominent person. The opposite of this sense of obverse is reverse , the back or tails side of a coin. Since the 19th century, obverse has referred to an opposing counterpart or an opposite.

Obverse coin

The obverse of a coin refers to the front, main, top, or "heads" side of a coin, which usually features a portrait of a person, mythological, allegorical, or real. Also, this term is commonly used to refer to the front of two-sided paper money, medallions, flags, seals and drawings. Outside the field of numismatics, This is more commonly called the front. In publishing, "recto" and "verso" are commonly used to refer to the front and backside of pages respectively. Numismatists use a variety of terms to describe coins to other collectors and dealers. It is essential to understand these terms as you begin your coin collecting journey. Failure to do so could result in purchasing a coin that is below your expectations. In early times coins were made by taking to harden pieces of metal with incuse designs engraved on them to make the coin. These are known as coin dies. One die was mounted on a large sturdy surface such as a rock or stone, while the other coin die was held by a mint worker. The lower die was known as the anvil die , and the die held by the worker was known as the hammer die.

February 19, obverse coin You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. February 05,

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Collecting coins or investing in them demands some basic knowledge of the terminology thrown around in this domain. Not only can this knowledge reduce the chances of you getting duped into buying a worthless product, but it can also help you understand this field a little bit better and make it more interesting. In a nutshell, the front side of the coin is called the obverse of the coin.

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Collecting coins or investing in them demands some basic knowledge of the terminology thrown around in this domain. Not only can this knowledge reduce the chances of you getting duped into buying a worthless product, but it can also help you understand this field a little bit better and make it more interesting. In a nutshell, the front side of the coin is called the obverse of the coin. The image on the right is the reverse side of this coin. In earlier times, coins were struck by hand using an anvil and a hammer.

Obverse coin

The conventions used on Numista to determine the obverse and reverse of a coin may differ from other guidelines and may even be in conflict with official mint specifications. These conventions are meant to provide consistency throughout all the issuers in the catalogue. In this case, the obverse and reverse should consistently refer to faces depicting the same devices. One Dime issuer name on reverse One Dime issuer name on obverse For ancient coins The obverse is the face produced from the lower die, which is known as the pile or anvil die and usually depicts the high relief portrait. The reverse is produced from the upper die, also known as the trussell or hammer die, and usually has a slightly concave shape: Drachm - Menander I Soter Note that on some ancient coins, the portrait side is clearly struck with the trussell die: Tetradrachm - Gelon I Stater of Corinth On some ancient coins, the obverse and reverse cannot be easily identified: Cast coins: Semis of Rome Coins that do not depict a portrait, for which the trussell and anvil dies cannot be discerned: Dishekel - Uzzibaal Coins that feature two-headed designs, for which it is impossible to tell the pile from the trussell die: Aureus - Tiberius and Augustus DIVOS AVGVST DIVI F For Byzantine coins struck after AD and their imitations that feature one or several portraits on each side: The face bearing the religious image is the obverse. The face bearing the secular image is the reverse. For uniface coins The blank face is the reverse, with exception for reverse trials.

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Very few examples were struck before he abdicated later that year, and none bearing this portrait were ever issued officially. Create profiles to personalise content. Officially, as agreed by the informal Economic and Finance Ministers Council of Verona in April , and despite the fact that a number of countries have a different design for each coin, the distinctive national side for the circulation coins is the obverse and the common European side which includes the coin value is the reverse. Initially, the United States used the symbolic portrait of Lady Liberty on all of our coins. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obverse. Measure content performance. Read Edit View history. After his conquest of ancient Egypt , he allowed himself to be depicted on the obverse of coins as a god-king , at least partly because he thought this would help secure the allegiance of the Egyptians, who had regarded their previous monarchs, the pharaohs , as divine. In President Abraham Lincoln was featured on the one cent coin. Learn more about how Mint artists design coins.

In the years that have followed, there are quite a few versions of Lincoln pennies in existence, like the wheat and the memorial versions. The most valuable pennies are those that have been minted in low numbers, those with an error like double die obverse, or both.

Back to U. Relief means the markings on the coin that are raised above the surface. The opposite side may have varied from time to time. Develop and improve services. A bust is an image of a person from the neck up, like Abraham Lincoln on the penny. Australian Perth Mint coins As you learn more about the bullion coin market, you will quickly be able to recognize the common coin obverses many of the most popular bullion coins carry. In early times coins were made by taking to harden pieces of metal with incuse designs engraved on them to make the coin. Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once? Use profiles to select personalised content. Contents move to sidebar hide. Following this principle, in the most famous of ancient Greek coins , the tetradrachm of Athens, the obverse is the head of Athena and the reverse is her owl. The mint mark is the small letter that shows which Mint location made the coin. February 26, Coin Obverse Defined. Near the edge is the raised area called the rim.