Obverse coin

Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites, obverse coin. Coin designs take into account all the parts of a 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.

Obverse 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. Both the anvil and the hammer had designs embossed into them to press them into the metal flats used for currency. A piece of metal was kept on the anvil and struck with the hammer. A design from the anvil was imprinted on the back of the coin, while the design from the hammer was imprinted on the front. This practice made it relatively easy to identify the front and reverse sides of a coin.

The United States government long adhered to including all of the following:.

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. Additionally, it can be an adjective meaning "facing the observer or opponent" or "being a counterpart or complement.

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.

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.

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Penguin, Categories : Numismatic terminology Artistic techniques Coins. In the many republics of ancient Greece, [4] such as Athens or Corinth , one side of their coins would have a symbol of the state, usually their patron goddess or her symbol, which remained constant through all of the coins minted by that state, which is regarded as the obverse of those coins. The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads , because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse tails. Create profiles for personalised advertising. The equivalent terms used in codicology , manuscript studies, print studies and publishing are "recto" and "verso". A bust is an image of a person from the neck up, like Abraham Lincoln on the penny. See All. Although most coin presses still use a hammer die and an anvil die that is mounted vertically within the press, some modern presses produce up to five coins simultaneously with the coin dies mounted horizontally within the press. If you called heads, obverse is the word for you.

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.

A convention exists typically to display the obverse to the left or above and the reverse to the right or below in photographs and museum displays, but this is not invariably observed. Initially, the United States used the symbolic portrait of Lady Liberty on all of our coins. The opposite of this sense of obverse is reverse , the back or tails side of a coin. However, how do you tell which side is the obverse if there is a portrait on both sides of the coin? The rim is the border around each side of the coin. A bullion buyer years before the Global Financial Crisis, James Anderson is a grounded precious metals researcher, content creator, and physical investment grade bullion professional. The store will not work correctly when cookies are disabled. Word History. Outside the field of numismatics, This is more commonly called the front. March 11, Examples of obverse in a Sentence. Similar versions of these two images, both symbols of the state, were used on the Athenian coins for more than two centuries. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!