Coin Collecting Terms Explained

The common side is the side of a euro coin that shows the denomination and is identical in every euro country.

An edge inscription is text or a pattern applied to the edge of a coin, such as the lettering on €2 coins.

A mint mark is a letter or symbol that identifies the mint where a coin was produced.

A mint master's mark is a symbol that identifies the person responsible for the mint at the time a coin was struck.

The national side is the side of a euro coin with a design chosen by the issuing country.

Coin mintage is the number of coins produced for a particular issue, often broken down by year, mint mark or finish.

A common issue is a €2 commemorative coin issued by all euro-area countries together, with a shared design.

A €2 commemorative coin features a special national-side design marking an anniversary, event, person or theme.

A coincard is a presentation card that contains a coin, often issued for collectors or as a commemorative release.

A coin roll is a fixed number of coins of the same denomination, wrapped together for transport or collecting.

A coin set is an official package with several coins, usually all denominations of one country and year.

Legal tender means a coin is officially recognised as a means of payment in a particular area.

An uncirculated coin shows no wear from circulation, although it may have marks from production, handling or storage.

Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) describes an unworn coin with its original mint lustre and is also used for certain collector-quality issues.

A Proof coin is made using specially prepared dies and blanks to create a high-quality finish with fine detail.

An error coin is a coin with an unintended flaw from the minting process, such as an off-centre strike or a wrong blank.

Coin grading is the process of describing a coin's condition using a standard scale or set of terms.