Numismatic Glossary - T

T
Mintmark for the cities of: Nantes (French coins), Turin (Italian coins).

T/T
The shorthand abbreviation for a roll of coins where both ends of the roll shows the reverse (tails) of the coin.

tab toning
Term to describe the toning often seen on commemorative coins which were sold in cardboard holders with a round tab. Coins toned in these holders have a circle in the center and are said to have tab toning.

Tael
A Chinese unit of weight, typically 33 to 38 grams, depending on geographic region. Sycee ingots and a few coins of the late Empire were denominated in tael.

Taka
The primary currency unit of Bangladesh; there are 100 poisha to the taka. Named after the tanka, a mediaeval silver coin which once circulated in the region.

Tala
The Samoan variant on the word "dollar".

target toning
Term used for coins with circles of color, similar to an archery target, with deeper colors on the periphery often fading to white or cream color at the center.

Teddy's Coin
Slang for J-1776, the unique gold striking of the 1907 Indian Head double eagle. This was the first design submitted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens at the personal request of then President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. He had requested that the famous sculptor revamp the "mundane" United States coinage along classical Greek and Roman styles.

telemarketer
A coin merchant who sells coins over the telephone. These firms often employ numerous salespersons who usually work from leads.

telephone auction
A sale of coins in which the bids are placed via telephone. This may be accomplished by punching the buttons on a touch-tone phone to indicate the auction, lot number, and bid or by verbal confirmation with an employee of the auction firm.

Temple Token
A religious amulet from India and Southeast Asia. There are Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist temple tokens.

Ten
Slang for an eagle or ten-dollar gold coin.

Ten Indian
Common name for an Indian Head eagle.

Tenge
The primary currency unit of Kazakstan; there are 100 tyin to the tenge. The name is the local word for a set of scales.

Tennesi
The historic fractional currency unit of Turkmenistan; there were 100 tennesi to the manat.

tensor light
A small, direct light source used by many numismatists to examine and grade coins.

Territorial Gold
Those coins and bars privately struck during the various gold rushes. These include coins not struck in territories. (Georgia and North Carolina were states when Templeton Reid and the Bechtlers struck their coins, but the term is applied to these issues. California also was a state when most issuers struck their coins.)

Tetradrachm
A medium-sized ancient Greek silver coin, valued at four drachms. Issued by many Greek city-states and kingdoms.

Tetri
Also spelled "thetri", the fractional currency unit of the republic of Georgia. Named after a mediaeval Georgian coin.

Thaler
The Germanic spelling of the silver-dollar size coins from Europe. Our word dollar derives from this word.

The Numismatist
Monthly periodical of the American Numismatic Association.

Thebe
The fractional currency unit of Botswana; there are 100 thebe to the pula.

Three Cent Nickel
The 75% copper and 25% nickel three-cent coins with Liberty Head motif struck from 1865 to 1889. The design by James Longacre was copied from the Liberty Head motif by Christian Gobrecht.

Three Cent Silver
The three-cent coin with a star motif struck in silver alloy. (The first type of the series was the first United States regular issue struck in debased silver – 75% silver and 25% copper. The other two types were struck in the normal 90% silver and 10% copper alloy.)

Thrymsa
The Anglo-Saxon name for the late Roman / Byzantine gold coin, the tremissis, and also used for the base-cold coinage issued in Anglo-Saxon England.

thumbed
A term used to describe a coin that has been doctored in a specific way to cover marks, hairlines, or other disturbances. Often associated with silver dollars, it actually is used on many issues, mainly business strikes. The thumb is rubbed lightly over the disturbances, and the oils in the skin help to disguise any problems.

tissue toning
Color, often vibrant, acquired by coins stored in original Mint paper. Originally, this was fairly heavy paper; later, very delicate tissue. Sometime during the nineteenth century, the Mint began wrapping Proof coins, and occasionally business strikes, in this paper. The paper contained sulfur; as a result, the coins stored in it for long periods of time acquired blues, reds, yellows, and other attractive colors.

Toea
The fractional currency unit of Papua New Guinea; there are 100 toea to the kina.

token
A substitute for a coin. These have been issued in the past and are still currently issued in huge quantities. Older ones generally were issued by stores and may not have been accepted at other establishments. The same is true today for most tokens, such as the gaming tokens issued by casinos, these being valid only at that particular establishment (or other casinos affiliated with the same owners).

toning
The term for the color seen on many coins. There are infinite shades, hues, and pattern variations seen, the result of how, where, and how long a coin is stored. Every coin begins to tone as it leaves the die, as all United States coins contain reactive metals in varying degrees.

Tooling
When a well-worn or badly corroded coin, especially an ancient coin, has new details carved into it to make it appear less worn than it really was. A tooled coin is regarded as ruined, and nearly as bad as a counterfeit coin.

tooling mark
A line, usually small and fine, found on both genuine and counterfeit coins. On genuine coins, such lines result when Mint workmen touch up dies to remove remnants of an overdate or other unwanted area. On counterfeits, they often appear in areas where the die was flawed and the counterfeiter has attempted to "fix" the problem.

Top-Pop
This term means the same as "Pop-top." It refers to a coin that is at the TOP of the POPulation Report (in other words, the finest graded).

Toughra
Also spelled "tughra". A distinctive, ornate form of signature featured on coins of the Ottoman Empire and several other modern Islamic coin series.

TPG
Acronym for Third Party Grader such as PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and ICG.

Trade dollar
A U.S. silver coin, issued from 1873 until 1885, slightly heavier than the regular silver dollar and specifically intended to facilitate trade in the Far East-hence its name. Trade dollars were made with this marginally higher silver content than standard silver dollars in an effort to gain acceptance for them in commerce throughout the world.

Trade Token
Generic term for private tokens issued by merchants for use as money during a shortage of official small change. The US Hard Times Tokens, Australian tradesman tokens and British Conder tokens can all be classed as trade tokens.

transfer die
A die created by sacrificing a coin for a model.

transitional
Short for transitional issue.

transitional issue
A coin struck after a series ends, such as the 1866 No Motto issues. A coin struck before a series starts, such as the 1865 Motto issues. A coin struck with either the obverse or the reverse of a discontinued series, an example being the 1860 half dime With Stars. A coin struck with the obverse or reverse of a yet-to-be-issued series, an example being the 1859 Stars half dime with the Legend-type reverse.

Transport Token
Token used to pay for a ride in a bus, tram, train, ferry or other form of public transport. The concept has been used worldwide, though the American series is by far the most extensive.

treasure coin
A coin known to have come a shipwreck or from a buried or hidden source.

Tremissis
A late Roman and early Byzantine gold coin, worth one-third of a solidus.

Tribute Penny
The term given to the common denarius of emperor Tiberius, so called because of it's mention in the bible (Luke 20:24). The biblical connection gives his coin far more collector interest

trime
Term used for a three-cent piece.

Troy weight
A method of weighing gold and silver and the coins made from those metals. There are 480 grains (or 20 pennyweights) in a troy ounce. There are twelve troy ounces in a troy pound.

Tugrik
Also spelled "togrog". The primary currency unit of Mongolia; It is now a unitary currency, but was historically divided into 100 mongo.

Turban Head
Synonymous With Draped Bust.

Twenty
Common term for double eagle or twenty-dollar gold coin.

Two and a Half
Common name for a quarter eagle or two-and-one-half dollar gold coin.

two-cent piece
Term commonly used for the Shield two-cent coin struck from 1864 until 1873. This James Longacre designed coin was the first to feature a shield as a stand-alone motif.

Tyin
Also spelled "tiyin", the fractional currency unit of Kazakstan; there are 100 tyin to the tenge.

type
A variation in design, size, or metallic content of a specific coin design. Examples include the Small and Heraldic Eagle types of Draped Bust coinage, Large-Size and Small-Size Capped Bust quarters, and the 1943 Lincoln cent struck in zinc-coated steel.

type coin
A representative coin, usually a common date, from a particular issue of a specific design, size, or metallic content.

Type One
Term for any coin from the first Type within a Series.

Type One Buffalo
A 1913-dated Indian Head five-cent coin with the reverse buffalo (bison) on a raised mound.

Type One gold dollar
Liberty Head design gold dollar struck from 1849 until mid-1854 in Philadelphia and for the full year in Dahlonega and San Francisco.

Type One nickel
Jefferson Head five-cent coin struck from 1938 until mid-1942 and from 1946 until the present day.

Type One quarter
Standing Liberty quarter struck from 1916 to mid-1917. This design features a bare-breasted Miss Liberty, a simple head detail, and no stars under the reverse eagle.

Type One twenty
Liberty Head double eagles struck from 1850 until mid-1866. These coins did not have a motto on the reverse and had "TWENTY D." for the denomination.

Type Three
Term for any coin from the third Type within a Series.

Type Three gold dollar
Small Indian Head design struck from 1856 until the series ended in 1889. San Francisco did not receive the Type Three dies in time to strike the new design in 1856, those coins from that Mint being the Type Two style.

Type Three twenty
Liberty Head double eagles struck from 1877 until the series ended in 1907. These coins have the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" on the reverse and had "TWENTY DOLLARS" for the denomination.

Type Two
Term for any coin from the second Type within a Series.

Type Two Buffalo
An Indian Head nickel with the reverse buffalo (bison) on level ground. These were struck from mid-1913 until the series ended in 1938.

Type Two gold dollar
The Large Indian Head design gold dollar struck from mid-1854 until 1855 in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans while San Francisco did not receive the new dies before the end of 1856 and struck Type Two coins during that year.

Type Two nickel
The Jefferson Head five-cent coin struck from mid-1942 until 1945. These are designated by a large mintmark above Monticello on the reverse and are composed of silver, manganese, and copper. These are the first U.S. coins to have a "P" mintmark to indicate their being struck at the Philadelphia Mint.

Type Two quarter
The Standing Liberty quarter struck from mid-1917 until the end of the series in 1930. This design features a covered-breast Miss Liberty, a more intricate head design, and three stars under the reverse eagle.

Type Two twenty
Liberty Head double eagles struck from mid-1866 until 1876. These coins have the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" on the reverse and had "TWENTY DOL." for the denomination.