Obverse coin

Heads or tails? 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. 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.

Obverse coin

The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money , flags , seals , medals , drawings , old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse means the back face. The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads , because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse tails. In numismatics , the abbreviation obv. In fields of scholarship outside numismatics, the term front is more commonly used than obverse , while usage of reverse is widespread. The equivalent terms used in codicology , manuscript studies, print studies and publishing are "recto" and "verso". Generally, the side of a coin with the larger-scale image will be called the obverse especially if the image is a single head and, if that does not serve to distinguish them, the side that is more typical of a wide range of coins from that location will be called the obverse. 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. Similar versions of these two images, both symbols of the state, were used on the Athenian coins for more than two centuries. 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 opposite side may have varied from time to time. In ancient Greek monarchical coinage, the situation continued whereby a larger image of a deity , is called the obverse, but a smaller image of a monarch appears on the other side which is called the reverse.

Normally, this function rests on a state as guarantor of the value: either as trustworthy guarantor of the kind and amount of metal in a coinobverse coin, obverse coin as powerful guarantor of the continuing acceptance of token coins. Although current practices are more efficient thanks to industrialization, modern coin presses work pretty much the same way.

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.

The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money , flags , seals , medals , drawings , old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse means the back face. The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads , because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse tails. In numismatics , the abbreviation obv. In fields of scholarship outside numismatics, the term front is more commonly used than obverse , while usage of reverse is widespread. The equivalent terms used in codicology , manuscript studies, print studies and publishing are "recto" and "verso". Generally, the side of a coin with the larger-scale image will be called the obverse especially if the image is a single head and, if that does not serve to distinguish them, the side that is more typical of a wide range of coins from that location will be called the obverse. 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. Similar versions of these two images, both symbols of the state, were used on the Athenian coins for more than two centuries. 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.

Obverse coin

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. These Lincoln pennies also sparked the beginning of the error coin collecting hobby in the US! The designs on both sides of a coin are pressed or stamped into the metal by a coin die. In order to make a die, another stamp called a coin hub is used. It takes multiple impressions from a coin hub to make a coin die, and if the hub is not aligned perfectly, the subsequent impression will be off-center. If the incorrectly-made die is used to strike coins, each coin will have the appearance of two images on a single coin — the letters, numbers, or words will appear duplicated.

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Since the 19th century, obverse has referred to an opposing counterpart or an opposite. This change happened in the coinage of Alexander the Great , which continued to be minted long after his death. Your vs. Article Talk. 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. See All. The other side is called the reverse. 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. Word of the Day. Send us feedback about these examples. As articles are written, books are published, and numismatists have discussions, one side or the other will eventually emerge as the obverse. This script alone style then was used on nearly all Islamic coinage until the modern period. Toggle limited content width.

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.

For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. The opposite of this sense of obverse is reverse , the back or tails side of a coin. A number of the designs used for obverse national sides of euro coins were taken from the reverse of the nations' former pre-euro coins. In a nutshell, the front side of the coin is called the obverse of the coin. Coin Obverse Defined. Updated July 14, If not provided for on the obverse, the reverse side usually contains information relating to a coin's role as a medium of exchange such as the value of the coin. November Learn how and when to remove this template message. Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Look up obverse or reverse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. By Susan Headley Susan Headley.