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Dictionary of Coin Collector Terms and Definitions:

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Welcome to our

COIN COLLECTOR's ABBREVIATIONS

and Acronyms Section

Here you can look up those abbreviations that coin dealers and experts are using and discover the meanings.

Abbreviations: A-D, E-F, G-N, M-Z

Coin Abbreviations beginning with

M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U -V - W - X - Y - Z

Ideal for beginning coin collectors and experienced numismatists. We think you will find these lists helpful in learning the lingo of the coin collecting hobby.

NGC: Numismatic Guarantee Corporation
PCGS: Professional Coin Grading Service - PCGS certifies coins as genuine and determines their grades according to a popular coin hobby grading scale (of 1 to 70). They charge a fee for their services and encapsulate the coin in a tamper resistant protective holder. Some PCGS graded coins sell for a premium over the ungraded versions of the same coins, because collectors are willing to pay a premium price for the assurances that a third-party grading service can provide. PCGS is one of the top three independent grading services today. Also see ANACS and NGC.

pop: -abbreviation for "population".

PR or PF: - Proof - a coin produced from specially treated and polished dies and/or planchets. A proof coin is usually struck two or more times. This give the resulting coin a very great degree of detail and the surface becomes mirror-like. Proofs are not made to circulated in commerce, rather they are minted for numismatic purposes, presentations in sets, or sold as collectibles. Because of the fine surface detail on proof coins, any small scratch or mark caused by mishandling can hurt the value and grade of a proof coin. Proofs are sold by the US mint in the year they are issued. Normally their cost is high enough to cover their special manufacturing costs.; Sometimes the initials PR or PF are used with a number to indicate the "grade" or degree of excellence of the proof coin. For example, with many coin grading services a PR69 would be one of the highest grades possible for a proof coin (with PR70 being perfect). A grade of PR60 would indicate a proof coin that was still in mint condition, however displayed some less than perfect features.
For more about proofs please read What is a proof coin?

PR69 or PF69: "PR" or "PF" is an abbreviation for "proof". 69 indicates the quality of the coin using the numeric coin grading scale that is the most popular quality grading scale in use today. Coin grades run from 1 to 70. A grade of PR70 or PF-70 is considered the best grade that is possible, with a 70 being an absolutely perfect coin. Also see topic- "MS69".

Prez: Short term or abbreviation for Presidential Dollar coins.

PVC: - Poly Vinyl Chloride (or PolyVinyl-Chorine). PVC is sometimes used in the manufacturing of plastic to add a flexibility or softness to it. Warning: Do NOT Use Coin holders containing PVC. Polyvinyl Chlorine has been found to be an unstable material, that over time can come out of the plastic as it ages and damage coins or other items that are stored in it. As the chemical breaks down it can often leave a slimy film on a coin or stain on paper money (baseball cards, etc.) PVC is found in some older holders made to hold coins, 2x2 coin holders, coin flips, currency holders and pages, and album pages (for baseball cards, photographs, and coin sets). In the mid-1980's the coin hobby became acutely aware of the danger of PVC as many holders made in the decade prior to that began to deteriorate and damage the coins they contained. Today, many coin collecting supply manufactures avoid the PVC softening agents and will often mention on their holders that they are "free of PVC". Recommendation: Avoid any type of plastic holder that contains PVC. Inquire of the seller if you are not sure whether a holder contains PVC.

SE: Short for Silver Eagles or American Silver Eagle dollars.

VAM: Nickname for a Silver Dollar variety. Comes from a famous coin book Morgan and Peace Dollars varieties. Written by Van Allen and Mallous (hence the abbreviation VAM). The the book the authors identified numerous US silver dollars and labeled many varieties with a scale designating their opinion of scarcity. An number of grading services are now adding the VAM number to silver dollars when they grade them. A number of collectors and dealers are now trading in these dollar varieties.

Other Coin Abbreviations & acronyms:

Additional information on the meanings of some of these coin abbreviations can be found in our COIN TERMS & DICTIONARY Section.

Dictionary of Coin Collector Terms & Definitions:

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

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