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bag mark - Mark(s) on a coin that occurred during the production process. Come from coins bumping into each other when placed in bags at the mint. Larger size coins typically exhibit more bag marks than smaller ones. A coin can still be un-circulated even if it has obvious bag marks. bar - usually an "ingot" shaped as a rectangle. Can be gold, silver, or any precious metal. Gold and silver bars vary in size from 1 gram up to thousands of ounces.
barber - nick name for US dimes, quarters, and half dollars designed by Charles E. Barber. They depict a “liberty head” on the front (obverse) and a eagle with shield on the reverse.
bid - the price a dealer (or dealers) are offering to pay for a coin. Sometimes used to indicate a standing offer at that price from a coin dealer or on a trading network. Also, see "site unseen". billon - a low grade of silver. Although sometimes silver in color, usually made of part silver and part copper.
bit - slang used to indicate one eighth of a dollar. In early days of this countries history the Spanish Milled Dollar (pillar dollar or 8 reales) circulated. Due to a shortage of smaller coins these silver dollars were often cut into pieces shaped like slices of pizza. A small piece equal to one eighth of the dollar was called a "piece of eight" or a "bit". The nursery rime "two bits, four bits, 6 bits, a dollar" comes from this time in history." Example, two bits = two eighths or a quarter.
blank - a blank piece of metal on which a coin design can be stamped. Also called a planchlet (planchet). Usually already cut into the shape of a coin - but without any design.
bourse - see "show".
brilliant uncirculated - a descriptive term used to indicate an uncirculated coin that still retains a lot of the brilliant luster. Not a heavily toned coin. BU is used to abbreviate brilliant uncirculated. See Coin Grading
bronze - an alloy (mixture) of copper, zinc, and tin. Color usually brownish yellow.
buffing - a polishing of a coin sometimes with an abrasive that leaves a finish that attempts to counterfeit mint luster. A buffed coin often is worth less than one that has not been cleaned. See whizzed.
bullion - term used when referring to items made of precious metal. Particularly silver, gold, and platinum. Often produced in the form of ingots, bars, rounds, and coins. Bullion value of a coin would be the "value of the metal" the coin contains.
bullion coin - coins made of precious metal and traded at current bullion prices, or at a small premium over bullion.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing - United States government agency that produces paper money for the U.S. and some other countries.
business strike - a coin produced for general use and circulation. Non-business strikes would be coins such as proofs, and special uncirculated coins or sets not intended to circulate.
bust - portrait on a coin, usually the head or head and shoulders. 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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