Coins obviously have two sides: a front and a back. But which is which? And does it matter?
To numismatists, the serious coin historians and collectors, it does. That’s why they use the terms obverse and reverse instead of the heads-and-tails vernacular.
Heads and Tails
The terms heads and tails are easy enough to understand; just looking at a coin usually gives the answer. The side with the picture of a person on it is heads. It goes back to the earliest coins when the image of a king, queen, or emperor was on one side and something else was on the other. It was such a common practice that by at least the 1600s a British play had a line in which a character said, “I can’t make heads nor tails of it,” adding that phrase, which probably derived from heavily worn coins in circulation, to the lexicon.
Obverse and Reverse
Academics like to be precise and numismatists are no exception. As scholars often do, they turned to Latin, anglicizing the word obversus, meaning toward the observer, as the choice for the front of the coin and a similar Latin word, reversus, for the back. Interestingly, in common English usage, obverse often means opposite, making its meaning the obverse of obverse in the coin world.
But simple definitions often don’t satisfy fussy scholars, so some in the coin world decided they would refine obverse. The only problem is they don’t all agree. Some say it’s the side with the human image, others say it’s the side with the date. Or the denomination. Except the date and denomination placement can vary depending on the coin’s design.
Technicians say it’s the side the hammer die (on top) strikes. And while that’s true in most mints, it isn’t always the case.
Go with the Flow
If you’re in a coin shop or at a show, using heads and tails will mark you as an amateur and lower your bargaining power. Use obverse and reverse in the numismatic sense and you’ll be one of the guys (or gals). Just like a true hockey fan will never call the top part of a uniform a jersey. It’s a sweater.
Coin collecting is a pastime enjoyed by kings and emperors, presidents and celebrities along with millions of everyday citizens. And it can start with the change in your pocket today.
The Great American Coin Company® is proud to offer many ways to start on a lifetime of coin and currency collecting. We have a wide selection of US coins from 1864 to the present as well as collectible coins from around the world. Visit our website to see what we offer and be sure to come back often as our inventory is constantly changing.
