Glossary of Numismatic Terms

• AGW – Actual Gold Weight
• Alloy – Mixture of metals
• ASW – Actual Silver Weight
• Authentication – Verifying genuineness
• Bag marks – Nicks from contact
• Bimetallic – Two metals
• Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) – Never circulated, mint luster
• Bullion – Precious metal bars/coins
• Cameo – Frosted devices on proof

• Capsule – Hard plastic holder
• Certification – Professional grading
• Circulation strike – Regular issue
• Commemorative – Special event coin
• Condition – State of preservation
• Counterfeit – Illegal copy
• Denomination – Face value
• Die – Metal stamp for coins
• Edge – Side of coin

Numerical Scale

• MS/PR-70 – Perfect
• MS/PR-69 – Nearly perfect
• MS/PR-65 – Gem
• MS/PR-63 – Choice
• AU-50 to 58 – About Uncirculated
• EF-40 to 45 – Extremely Fine
• VF-20 to 35 – Very Fine
• F-12 to 15 – Fine

Proof Designations

• PF / PR – Proof
• CAM – Cameo
• DCAM / UCAM – Deep Cameo / Ultra Cameo
• Imp PF – Impaired Proof

Color Designations

• BN – Brown
• RB – Red‑Brown
• RD – Red

• Pond – Gold pound coin (1892‑1900)
• Half Pond – ½ gold pound
• Crown – 5 Shillings silver (1892 only)
• Half Crown – 2½ Shillings silver
• Florin – 2 Shillings silver
• Shilling – 1 Shilling silver
• Sixpence – 6 Pence silver
• Threepence / Tickey – 3 Pence silver
• Penny – Bronze 1 Penny

• Double shaft – Wagon error (1892)
• Single shaft – Correct design
• OS initials – Otto Schultz's initials
• Single 9 – Unique 1899 overdate
• Kaalpond – Unstruck gold blanks
• Veldpond – 1902 emergency coin
• Kruger Millions – Legendary lost gold

• Pond – Pound
• Halfpond – Half pound
• Tickey – Threepence
• Disselboom – Wagon shaft
• Enkel disselboom – Single shaft

• Dubbel disselboom – Double shaft
• Kaalpond – Naked pound
• Veldpond – Field pound
• Suid‑Afrika – South Africa

• NGC – Numismatic Guaranty Corporation
• PCGS – Professional Coin Grading Service
• SANGS – South African Numismatic Grading Service
• PMG – Paper Money Guaranty
• MS – Mint State
• PF/PR – Proof

• AU – About Uncirculated
• EF/XF – Extremely Fine
• VF – Very Fine
• F – Fine
• VG – Very Good
• G – Good