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 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. The mint worker would then take a piece of metal and place it on the anvil die, put the hammer die on top of it and strike it with a large heavy hammer to impart the coin design on the metal. Since the anvil die imparted the design on the back of the coin, this was known as the reverse side of the coin.

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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".

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.

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Archived from the original on Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse means the back face. In the portrait of Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus were featured on United States coins to commemorate the th anniversary of Christopher Columbus discovering America. Relief means the markings on the coin that are raised above the surface. In numismatics , the abbreviation obv. Need even more definitions? A movement back to the earlier tradition of a deity being placed on the obverse occurred in Byzantine coinage , where a head of Christ became the obverse and a head or portrait half or full-length of the emperor became considered the reverse. For this reason, the obverse side of a modern piece of currency is the one that evokes that reaction by invoking the strength of the state, and that side almost always depicts a symbol of the state, whether it be the monarch or otherwise. The top of the coin that was produced by the hammer die is known as the obverse of the coin. The opposite of this sense of obverse is reverse , the back or tails side of a 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!

In the portrait of Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus were featured on United States coins to commemorate the th anniversary of Christopher Columbus discovering America. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Obverses. Numismatics portal Money portal. About the Mint Circulating Coins U. The edge of the coin goes around the outside. 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. Therefore, the other side is the reverse. The Words of the Week - Mar. Since the anvil die imparted the design on the back of the coin, this was known as the reverse side of the coin. Read more » about James Anderson.