WikiCoins:Numismatic Terms A-N

A
accolated, conjoined, jugate: Design with two heads facing the same direction and overlapping.

accumulation: Coins, tokens, etc., unsorted, unclassified, and unattributed; not a collection.

adjustment: Filing down the face of an overweight planchet. Such filing marks often survive the coining process. This is common on 18th century coins.

aes grave: Cast bronze issue of the Roman republic; literally "heavy bronze."

aes rude: Large cast rectangular bronze coin, one of the earliest Roman coins.

allied military currency: Currency issued for use by the allied forces at the close of WW2. Used by the British, U.S., French, Russian and others.

alloy: Mixture of more than one metal.

altered: A coin or other numismatic item that has been deliberately changed, usually to make it resemble a rare or more valuable piece.

american arts gold medallions: A series of 1ounce and half-ounce gold bullion medals issued by the U.S. Mint from 1980-84. Medals depict great American artists, writers and actors. See also medallion.

american eagle: Bullion coins released by the U.S. Mint beginning in October 1986. Five coins are available: a 1-ounce, .999 fine silver coin with $1 face value; a 1-ounce, .9167 fine gold coin with $50 face value; a half-ounce, .9167 fine gold coin with $25 face value; a quarter-ounce, .9167 fine gold coin with $10 face value; and a tenth-ounce, .9167 fine gold coin with $5 face value. Coins are sold at prices based on current metal prices plus a markup. See also eagle.

ancient coin: Generally any coin issued before A.D. 500.

anneal: To soften dies, planchets or metal by heat treatment.

ant nose: Primitive copper money of China ca. 600 B.C.

as: (Plural: asses) Bronze or orichalcum coins of the Roman republic.

assay: Analytic test or trial to ascertain the fineness, weight and consistency of precious or other metal in coin or bullion. An assay piece is one that has been assayed.

assignats: Notes issued during and immediately after the French Revolution, backed by land confiscated from the church.

attribution: The identification of a numismatic item by characteristics such as issuing authority, date or period, Mint, denomination, metal in which struck, and by a standard reference.

auction: Method of selling by which items are presented for sale to the highest bidder.

authentication: Authoritative determination of the genuineness of a numismatic item.

B
back: The paper money side opposite the "face"; analogous to the reverse of a coin.

bag marks: See contact marks.

bank note: A promissory note issued by a bank in useful denominations, payable to bearer and intended to circulate as money. Should not be used as a generic term for all forms of paper money.

BAF notes: British Armed Forces Special Vouchers - paper money issued for use only within British military bases.

bas--relief: Sculpture style featuring slight differences between the raised design and the field and in which no part of the design is undercut; used to execute models for coins and medals. See also relief.

base metal: Non-precious metal; e.g., copper.

bearer cheque: A type of cheque payable to whoever possesses it, rather than to a specific person or organisation. They have occasionally served as currency, passing hands between successive people, until someone cashes it in.

bicentennial coins: The special quarter dollar, half dollar and dollar struck from mid-1975 to the end of 1976 in honor of the 200th anniversary of American Independence. Coins feature the dual date 1776-1976 and special reverses emblematic of the celebration. Issued in copper-nickel clad versions for circulation. Special 40 percent silver clad versions were sold to collectors.

bid sheet: A form used by a buyer in an auction or mail-bid sale, on which the buyer lists the item being bid on by the number it is assigned and the price he is willing to pay.

bid-buy sale: A combination form of fixed-price list and mail-bid sale. Rules may vary from dealer to dealer. However, customers usually may either buy a lot outright at the fixed price or place a bid (higher or lower). It permits buyers to purchase a lot at less than fixed price (in some cases), or by paying more, ensures a greater chance of obtaining the lot.

billon: A low-grade alloy used for some minor coin issues consisting usually of a mixture of silver and copper, and sometimes coated with a silver wash.

bison, buffalo: Species considered typically North American, used on coinage and paper money of the United States; bison is a better term than buffalo, which is a more general term referring to a number of related but different species outside North America.

bit: A popular term for the Spanish-American 1real piece (also Danish West Indies and other neighboring islands) which formerly circulated in the United States. More often used in the plural, as two bits (25 cents) or four bits (50 cents). A bit is 12-1/2 cents.

blank: The disc of metal or other material on which the dies of the coin, token or medal are impressed; also called disc, flan. In paper money, a small colored disc embedded in the paper used as an anti-counterfeiting device.

block: In paper money collecting, a series of related notes indicated by the same prefix and suffix letters in the serial number. When the suffix letter changes, a new block is created. The suffix currently changes when the serial number reaches 99 920 000. A number printed on a note, indicating the specific printing run. Not the same as the plate number or serial number.

blue book: Nickname given to Handbook of United States Coins, an annual price guide for collectors. The book has a blue cover, hence the nickname. Gives wholesale prices, or what dealers might pay for U.S. coins.

bourse: Rhymes with "horse," the area at a coin show or convention where dealers set up tables of collectibles for sale.

brass: Coinage metal alloy containing chiefly copper and zinc.

broken bank notes: The term is usually applied to the notes from the many U.S. banks which became insolvent during the mid 19th century.

britannia: Gold bullion coin and its fractionals to be issued by Great Britain beginning in 1987; also, the allegorical figure representing Britain.

broadstrike: Coin struck outside a restraining collar. See also related article.

broken bank note: paper money of a defunct bank or a bank which has failed (broken), but often applied to any obsolete bank note.

bronze: Coinage metal alloy containing chiefly copper and tin.

brown back: A Brown Back note is a Second Charter, First Issue national bank note. Has brown ink on the back.

buffalo nickel: More properly: Indian Head 5-cent piece.

buffalo: See bison.

bullion coin: A precious metal coin traded at the current bullion price.

bullion: Uncoined precious metal in the form of bars, plates, ingots, and other items.

buyer's fee: Winning bidders in a public auction in the United States are usually charged a buyer's fee based on a certain percentage of the winning bid. Most U.S. auction houses charge a 15 percent buyer's fee; a buyer placing a $110 hammer bid on a coin would pay an additional $16.50

C
cabinet friction: Slight surface wear on a coin, token or medal caused by friction between it and the tray or envelope in which it is contained.

Cancellation: A method used by authorized bodies to cancel a note's monetary value. Methods include hole-punching, signature removing, overprinting, etc.

check number: On modern paper money, used as a cross reference for the plate number which appears on the margin of a currency sheet and which is trimmed from the note before it enters circulation to identify the printing plate from which the note came. On the obverse, the check number is a letter and number combination appearing in lower right corner; on the reverse, it is a number only appearing at the lower right. Often incorrectly called the plate number.

chop mark (shroff mark): A small punched impression applied by Chinese (chop) or Indian (shroff) banks or change offices to attest to the full weight and metallic content of a coin.

Civil War tokens: Privately-issued emergency coin-like tokens, the approximate size of current U.S. cents, which circulated during the Civil War because of a scarcity of small change. Two major types were issued: patriotic tokens, with patriotic themes; and store cards, advertising pieces often carrying the issuer's name, address and type of business or services. See also token.

clad: Composite coinage metal strip composed of a core, usually of a base metal such as copper, and surface layers of more valuable metal, silver (or sometimes copper-nickel). Cladding is a cost-saving measure, making coins cheaper to produce while maintaining a desired appearance.

clip: Sometimes used to denote an incomplete planchet coin; in earlier days, clipping was a process of shaving edges of coins to remove small amounts of metal for illegal gain (which gave rise to lettered or reeded edges).

coin note: See Treasury note.

coin: Usually a piece of metal, marked with a device, issued by a governing authority and intended to be used as money.

collar: A retaining ring die within which the coin dies operate; the collar forms the edge design of the piece such as reeding or lettering.

Colonial: Refers to coins or paper money issued by the Colonial governments of the 13 British Colonies that became the United States. See "state coinages."

Colonial currency: British sterling notes issued in North America from 1760 to the American Revolution.

commemorative: A piece issued to mark, honor or observe an anniversary, other event, place or person, or to preserve its memory. A note bearing reference to a historic event, person, or organization. Usually issued on the anniversary of some major event of national significance.

compound-interest Treasury note: A type of U.S. paper money authorized in 1863 and 1864; they brought 6 percent interest, and were to be redeemed three years after issue.

condition census: Term introduced by Dr. William H. Sheldon to denote the finest specimen and average condition of next five finest known of a given variety of large cents. Catalogers are gradually extending the use of the term to other series.

conjoined: See: accolated.

contact marks, bag marks: Minor abrasions on an otherwise Uncirculated coin, caused by handling in Mint-sewn bags and contact with other surfaces. Sometimes called bag marks.

Continental currency: paper money issued by the authority of the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. See also currency.

Continental dollar: A dollar-sized pattern struck in 1776 as a proposed coinage.

COPE, COPE PAK: Acronyms used at Bureau of Engraving and Printing for Currency Overprinting and Processing Equipment and Currency Overprinting and Processing Equipment, Packaging. Machines used to apply overprinting of seals, serial numbers and Federal Reserve index numbers to 16-note half sheets of paper money; then the COPE cuts the half sheets into single notes, bundles them into 100-note packages with a paper band, and into larger plastic-wrapped packages.

copper-nickel: Coinage alloy composed of copper and nickel in varying amounts.

copy: A reproduction or imitation of an original.

Coronet: Style of Liberty Head used on U.S. copper and gold coins for much of the 19th century. Liberty wears a coronet (most depicting the word LIBERTY).

counterfeit: An object made to imitate a genuine numismatic piece with intent to deceive or defraud, irrespective of whether the intended fraud is primarily monetary or numismatic.

crown: A general term embracing most silver coins from about 20 to 30 grams in weight and from about 33 to 42 millimeters in size. The term has become applicable also to most nickel alloy coins of the same range of size and weight. Coins of 43 or more millimeters in diameter are said to be multiple crowns.

cud: A form of die break that leaves a shapeless lump of metal on part of a coin.

cupro-nickel: Copper-nickel; term often employed by the government.

currency: Applies to both coins and paper money. Many use the word currency for paper money only. Currency is legal tender.

current: Coins and paper money in circulation.

D
date back: A Date Back note is a Second Charter, Second Issue national bank note. Refers to the dates 1902-1908 found on the back.

debase: To become less valuable.

demand note: Demand notes, authorized in 1861, were the first paper money issued by the United States federal government for circulation. Nicknamed the "greenback" because of the green ink used on the reverse (back) of the note.

demonetisation: The official cancellation of a banknote's validity as currency, by government decree.

denarius: (Plural: denarii) Roman silver coin, later debased, roughly equal to a Greek drachm. Initiated in 268 B.C, it equaled 16 asses; 25 denarii equals 1 gold aureus.

denomination: The face value of a coin or paper note; the amount of money it is worth.

denticles: Ornamental device used on rims of coins, often resembling teeth, hence the name; also "beading."

depression scrip: Paper money issued by private organisations during the American depression of the 1930, as an alternative to currency. It was redeemable in cash or goods, as specified on the note.

device: The principal element, such as a portrait, shield or heraldic emblem, of the design on the obverse and reverse of a coin, token or medal.

devil's face note: On some of Bank of Canada notes, First Issue of 1954, Queen Elizabeth II's hair has a coincidental combination of shading and light that looks like a "devil's" face. Shading was quickly changed under public pressure to remove the "face."

die scratch: Raised line on the surface of a coin, caused by a scratch in the coinage die.

die: A hardened metal punch, the face of which carries an intaglio or incuse mirror-image to be impressed on one side of a planchet.

disme: Spelling of the word "dime" on U.S. 1792 pattern pieces and name given the 10-cent coin authorized in the Mint Act of April 2, 1792. Probably pronounced like "steam" or "time." The "s" is silent.

double eagle: Official terminology of the $20 Gold piece which is twice the denomination of the 'eagle' or $10 gold piece. The eagle and the dollar were the basis of the U.S. currency system up until the early 1970s. A gold $20 coin of the United States. See also eagle.

doubled die: A die which has a multiple image created during the die-making process. Coins struck from a doubled die show a doubled image. There are many different causes of doubled dies, and many doubled die coins. Sometimes mistakenly called double die.

doubloon': Popular slang name given to Spanish gold 8escudo pieces of the Conquistador era, often associated with pirate treasure; also, a medal in special circumstances Mardi Gras doubloon.

drachm: (Pronounced "dram") An ancient Greek silver coin, plural drachms. Drachma (pronounced "DRAHKmuh") is the modern Greek denomination, plural drachmas.

ducat: (Pronounced "DUCKet") Medieval gold coin; also any of a number of modern issues of the Dutch Mint. Modern slang has spread its use to mean "ticket."

E
eagle: A gold $10 coin of the United States.

edge: Often termed the third side of a coin, it is the surface perpendicular to the obverse and reverse. Not to be confused with rim. Edges can be plain, lettered or milled (reeded or with some other repetitious device). Edges became particularly important with the advent of machine-struck coinage.

educational notes: The Series 1896 $1, $2 and $5 silver certificates are called Educational notes because of the allegorical and educational themes of the vignettes. Replaced in 1899 with a new series.

electrotype: A copy or reproduction of a coin, token or medal made by the electroplating process.

electrum: Naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver used for early coins of the Mediterranean region.

elongated coin: An oval medalet produced by a roller die using a coin, token or medal as a planchet usually a cent.

emergency issues: Notes issued during times of economic turmoil, usually when the country's national currency approaches worthlessness, or as a substitute for coins when metal is in short supply.

encapsulated coin: One which has been sealed in a plastic holder, especially by a third-party grading service.

encased postage stamp: A postage stamp unofficially encased in a metal, plastic or cardboard frame and intended to be used as small change.

error notes/coins: A coin, token, medal or paper money item evidencing a mistake made in its manufacture. Notes or coins with design errors such as spelling mistakes and notes with badly-printed features or other manufacturing faults. They are sought-after as collectibles.

essai; essay: In paper money, a print made to test a design; analogous to a trial strike in coinage. See also Proof.

exergue: (Pronounced "EXsurge") Area on a coin generally below the main design area, often site of date.

exonumia: A broad category of non-money, non-legal tender numismatic items, including tokens, medals and badges. An economist is a specialist in exonumia. See also legal tender.

experimental pieces: Struck from any convenient dies to test a new metal, new alloy or new denomination; those testing a new shape; those testing a standard metal for a new denomination; and those representing changes in planchets for the purposes of combating counterfeiting.

eye appeal: The quality of a coin's attractiveness, distinct from any quantifiable measure of condition.

F
face value: Refers to the value of a piece of currency; the denomination multiple that appears on the note or coin.

face: The front of a currency note, generally the side with signatures; analogous to the obverse of a coin.

fantasy coin/note: An object having the physical characteristics of a coin, issued by an agency other than a governing authority yet purporting to be issued by a real or imaginary governing authority as a coin. A novel or humorous coin banknote look-alike with no monetary validity, often with a make-believe denomination, and sometimes portraying a celebrity or fictional theme.

federal reserve bank note: A form of U.S. paper money authorized by the Federal Reserve Acts of Dec. 23, 1913, and April 23, 1918, and by the Act of March 9, 1933. The obligation to pay was by the individual issuing bank, not the federal government or other Federal Reserve Banks. The 1933 notes were an emergency issue to alleviate a shortage of paper money. Not to be confused with Federal Reserve notes. See also bank note.

federal reserve note: A form of U.S. paper money authorized by the Federal Reserve Act of February 1913. The obligation to pay is on the United States government and not the issuing banks. This is the only form of paper money currently being printed in the United States.

fiat money: "Unbacked" currency, that which cannot be converted into coin or specie of equal value.

field: The flat part of a surface of a coin surrounding and between the head, legend or other designs.

a find: A "FIND" in stamps aor coins is where you locate a rare specimen or a nice accumulation and purchase it for a low price.

fineness: Represents the purity of precious metal, either in monetary or bullion form. Most forms of precious metal require an additional metal to provide a durable alloy. Often stated in terms of purity per 1,000 parts: A .925 fine silver coin has 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent other metal.

fixed-price list: A price list or catalog of coins, exonumia, paper money or other numismatic items offered at set prices.

flan: Planchet.

flip: A coin holder, usually plastic, that has two pouches, one to hold a coin and the other to hold identification. It is folded over, or "flipped," to close.

flow lines: Microscopic striations in a coin's surface caused by the movement of metal under striking pressures.

follis: A Roman and Byzantine coin denomination; plural is folli.

fractional currency: Usually refers to the United States paper money issued from 1862 to 1876 in denominations from 3 to 50 cents. See also currency.

fractional: Referring to bullion coins, those of less that 1 ounce.

frost: Effect caused by striking a coin with sandblasted dies, often used in reference to Proof coins.

G
German silver: An alloy of copper, nickel and zinc but no silver. Also called American silver, Feuchtwanger's composition, nickel silver.

gold certificate: A form of U.S. paper money once redeemable in gold coin. Temporarily made illegal for most to hold between 1933 and 1964.

goldine: A gold-colored finish often used for medals or tokens.

grading: The process of determining a coin's condition. The physical condition of a banknote/coin; the degree of wear and tear. A minor difference in grade may have a significant effect on value.

guerrilla notes: Paper money issued by guerrilla organizations, during enemy occupation of their country.

guilloche: Embellishment found on some banknotes - a motif of intricate interweaving lines, created by a mechanical engraving machine, like an elaborate spirograph.

H
hairlines: Fine scratches in the surface of the coin. Not to be confused with die scratches.

half dime, half disme: A silver 5-cent coin of the United States. The Mint Act of April 2, 1792, authorizes "half dismes." See also disme.

half eagle: A gold $5 coin of the United States. See also eagle.

hammer die: The die that performs the striking action. See also anvil die.

hammer price: In an auction, the price the auctioneer calls the winning bid, excluding any additional fees the buyer may have to pay for the lot.

hard times token: An unofficial large cent-sized copper token struck in a wide variety of types during 1833-1843, serving as de facto currency, and bearing a politically inspired legend; or issued with advertising as a store card.

hell money: Fantasy notes from China, used in funeral rites and other rituals, where they are offered as a symbolic sacrifice.

helvetia: Gold bullion coins issued by Switzerland; also, the allegorical figure representing Switzerland. From the name given to the area by the Romans.

hoard: Usually a deposit of coins, secreted at some time in the past, discovered accidentally.

hobo nickel: An Indian Head 5-cent coin with Indian bust engraved to resemble "hobo" or other individual. Engraving may also alter the bison on the reverse.

hologram: A three-dimensional image on a flat surface, gaining experimental use as a security device on credit cards and printed currency.

hub: A right-reading, positive punch used to impress wrong-reading working dies.

I
inaugural medal: A medal issued by the official inaugural committee commemorating the inauguration of a U.S. president.

incuse: The opposite of bas--relief; design is recessed rather than raised. Used when referring to coins, medals, tokens and other metallic items.

indian head: The preferred name for the 5-cent coin often called "Buffalo nickel." Indian Head cents, gold dollars, gold $3 coins, $5 half eagles, $10 eagles and $20 double eagles exist. See also eagle.

indian peace medal: A medal issued by a government agency to an Indian in an attempt to earn goodwill. The U.S. government issued Indian peace medals from the administration of George Washington through the administration of Andrew Johnson.

intaglio: A method of printing using engraved plates. Paper is forced into the ink-filled lines of the plate, leaving a raised line of ink on the paper. All U.S. paper money is printed by the intaglio method. Intaglio Printing method using an engraved plate. Oil is applied to the surface of the plate. Ink is then applied, which, due to the oil, only adheres in the engraved grooves. The plate is then pressed onto the paper, where the ink held in the grooves transfers to the paper.

intrinsic: As applied to value, the net metallic value as distinguished from face and numismatic value.

irradiated dime: Collectible made by exposing Roosevelt dimes to cesium or other radioactive substance and then placing in a special package; harmless, as any "acquired radioactivity" has dissipated by the time it reaches collectors' hands.

J
jugate: Accolated, conjoined.

JIM notes: "Japanese invasion money"; banknotes issued by Japan during WW2, for use in the countries it occupied.

K
Krugerrand: A gold bullion coin of South Africa. It is composed of .9167 fine gold. Exists in 1-ounce, half-ounce, quarter-ounce and tenth-ounce sizes.

L
lamination: Coinage defect consisting of a portion of the metal separating from the rest due to impurities or internal stresses; common with clad or plated coinage.

large cent: Refers to the U.S. cents of 1793 to 1857, with diameters between 26-29 millimeters, depending on the year it was struck.

large date: A variety of coin on which the date is physically larger than other varieties of the same year.

legal tender bullion coin: Governmen-tissued precious metal coins produced for investors, they have legal tender status, and usually a nominal face value, even though they are not intended to circulate as currency. See also bullion.

legal tender: Currency explicitly determined by a government to be acceptable in the discharge of debts.

legend: The inscription on a numismatic item.

lepton: Denomination of various values and weights used throughout the ancient Greek world and in modern Greece, generally a small copper or bronze coin.

lettered edge: An incused or raised inscription on the edge of a coin.

libertad: A silver bullion coin of Mexico, containing 1 ounce of .999 fine silver.

lignadenarist: A collector of wooden nickels and similar items.

love token: A coin which has been altered by smoothing one or both surfaces and engraving initials, scenes, messages, etc., thereon. See also token.

luster: Surface quality of a coin, result of light reflected from the microscopic flow lines.

M
mail-bid sale: Similar to an auction, but all bids and transactions are completed through the mail or by telephone; no bidding is conducted "in person."

Maple Leaf: A gold bullion coin of Canada. It is composed of .9999 fine gold. Produced in four sizes: 1-ounce with a $50 face value; half-ounce, $25; quarter-ounce, $10; and tenth-ounce, $5. Plural, Maple Leafs.

Maria Theresia taler: An Austrian silver trade coin dated 1780, but struck repeatedly since then with the one date.

master die: A metal punch used to produce "working hubs," which are then used to produce "working dies." See also die and hub.

master hub: A metal punch used to produce "master dies." See also hub and master die.

Matte Proof: Especially U.S. gold coins of 1908-1916, coins produced from dies entirely sandblasted with no mirror surfaces. See also frost and Proof.

maverick: An unidentifiable specimen, generally referring to a token.

medal: Usually a piece of metal, marked with a design or inscription, made to honor a person, place or event; not intended to pass as money.

medalet: Depending on sources, a small medal no larger than 1 inch in diameter or a medal 35 millimeters in diameter or less.

medallion: A large Roman presentation piece of the fifth century. Sometimes used for a large medal, usually 3 or more inches in diameter.

medieval coin: A coin struck from about A.D. 500 to 1500.

Mercury: The unofficial nickname given to the Winged Liberty Head dime of 1916-45. The designer never intended the coin to depict Mercury, a male Greek god with wings on his ankles. The bust on the dime is an allegorical female Liberty Head figure with a winged cap. Also, some coins have been plated outside the Mint with mercury to give them a "Prooflike" appearance; mercury metal is highly toxic and these coins should be destroyed.

microprinting: Extremely small lettering difficult to discern with the naked eye, used as an anti-counterfeiting device on paper money.

milling; milled coin: Milling refers to the devices on the edge of a coin; a milled coin is one struck by machine. They are related due to the rise of the importance of the collar with machine-produced coinage.

minor coin: A silver coin of less than crown weight, or any coin struck in base metal.

Mint luster: The sheen or bloom on the surface of an Uncirculated numismatic object resulting from the centrifugal flow of metal caused by striking with dies. Mint luster or bloom is somewhat frosty in appearance as opposed to the mirrorlike smoothness of the field of a Proof. See also luster.

Mint mark: A letter or other symbol, sometimes of a privy nature, indicating the Mint of origin.

Mint set: Common term for an Uncirculated Mint set, an official set containing one of each coin struck during a given year.

mirror: Highly reflective surface or field of a coin; usually mirror field with frosted relief.

model, plaster: A clay or plaster three-dimensional design for a coin or medal.

modern coin: A coin struck after about A.D. 1500.

money: A medium of exchange.

mule: A coin, token or medal whose obverse die is not matched with its official or regular reverse die.

N
national bank note: paper money issued in United States by national banks from 1863 through 1929 and secured by government bonds or other collateral. Also called national currency. See also bank note.

National Coin Week: An annual observance sponsored by American Numismatic Association to acquaint the public with the hobby and science of numismatics.

national gold bank note: National bank notes payable in gold coin by some California banks and one Boston bank pursuant to authorization by Act of July 12, 1870. See also bank note.

nickel: A silver-white metal widely used for coinage, usually alloyed with copper. Do not use for the copper-nickel 5-cent coin. In the mid-19th century, copper-nickel cents and 3-cent coins were also nicknamed "nickel," like the 5-cent coin.

notaphily: The word someone coined to mean 'banknote collecting'. It never really caught on, because many collectors don't like the sound of it, or feel it doesn't convey the fine qualities of this great hobby.

notgeld: German term meaning emergency money. German and Austrian notgeld abounded in the early 1920s inflation period.

numismatics: The science, study or collecting of coins, tokens, medals, orders and decorations, paper money and similar objects.

numismatist: A person knowledgeable in numismatics, with greater knowledge than a collector.