Coin Glossary

You can find most popular coin collecting phrases in this coin glossary.

Coin Glossary

R

raw - means the coin has not been certified, slabbed or encapsulated by a coin grading service.

Red Book -The Official RED BOOK of US COINS. A price guide book on US coins and their values by R.S. Yeoman. Perhaps the most popular book for listing US coin retail values, grades, and mintages.

Redfield - Lafavre Redfield.  Silver dollar collector/investor. 

reeded edge - The edge of a coin that has small reed like lines on it. Today's US dimes and quarters are examples of reeded edge coins. See "lettered edge" and "incused edge".

relief - the part of the design that is raised from the surface of the coin. Example: Washington's face on a Washington quarter.

restrike - a coin minted from original dies, however at a later date than originally intended.

reverse - the back side of the coin. Opposite of obverse.

riddler - a machine that sorts out wrong size/defective blanks (planchlets)

rim - the raised edge of a coin created by the upsetting mill. The idea being that if the edge on both sides of the coin is raised like the design it will help protect the coins design from wear.

roll - a group of coins in the same denomination in a paper wrapper package by banks, dealers, or the US Mint. Sometimes a roll is put into a plastic coin tube. The number of coins in a roll depend on the denomination. For US Cents there are 50 in a roll, nickels- 40, dimes- 50, quarters- 40, halves- 20, dollars- 25.

rounds - coin shaped silver pieces. Not official legal tender, however they may be accurate in bullion weight. Like silver bars only shaped like a coin.  

DiggFacebookRedditTwitter
Coin Collecting News
06/30/2025
The flip of a coin today will determine who sits on the Pasadena City Council | We'll stream coin flip LIVE on KHOU 11+
Breaking the tie comes down to a coin flip. That coin flip will take place today at Pasadena City Hall at 11 a.m. So, if you ever wanted a reminder that every vote counts, remember this race! And ... more info

06/30/2025
Bianca Valerio wins Pasadena council seat following coin toss
A coin toss determined a tiebreaker between incumbent Bianca Valerio and her challenger, Bruce Leamon, for Pasadena's District B council seat. more info

06/30/2025
Up in the air: Pasadena City Council member Bianca Valerio wins coin flip to retain seat
Valerio, an incumbent, defeated challenger Bruce Leamon on Monday as a coin toss decided the race for Position B on the city council. Each received 272 votes in a June 7 runoff election. more info