Ae
AE is an abbreviation for bronze or brass.
Ag
Ag is the symbol for Silver. Sometimes silver coins are referred to with AR.
Alloy
A mixture of 2 or more metals. Examples are bronze (copper+tin), brass (copper+zinc) and cupro-nickel (copper+nickel). Usually used to make the coin less expensive or make the coin harder and more resistant to scratches and dents.
ANA
American Numismatic Association
Anepigraphic coin
A coin without an inscription
Angel
A gold coin minted during the reign of Edward IV in 1465. Originally it was called an angel-noble. It had a value of 6/8 (six shillings and eight pence). This sounds strange but 6/8 is 80 pennies which was one-third of a pound. There are also half-angels.
Anna
An Indian coin, demonetised in 1957, worth about one-sixteenth of a Rupee. There were half-anna and two-anna coins.
AR
Ar or AR preceeding a coin indicates Silver, as in AR Denarius.
As
A Roman coin, equivalent to 10 Denarii. A tenner in Roman money.
Assay
To analyse and assess the purity and quality of precious metals like gold, silver or platinum.
Au
Au is the symbol for Gold.
Augustus
A honorary title given to all Roman Emperors from Octavius onwards. On coins it is often abbreviated to 'Avg'.
Aureus
A gold coin of the Roman Empire, in use about 1st-4th century. Equivalent to 25 silver denarii or 100 sestertii. It varied in weight across Emperors, but was about that of a modern gold sovereign. It was very pure, often 24 carat gold.
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 | Full Gold Sovereign coin 22ct 1896 Ldn Mint £ 822.70 |
 | 1869 Queen Victoria Full Gold Sovereign - Young Head / Shield Back £ 925.00 |
 | 1862 Queen Victoria Full Gold Sovereign - Young Head / Shield Back - 22ct Gold £ 910.00 |
 | Scarce 1980 Proof Full Gold Sovereign With Original Box & Certificate (7.99g) £ 873.70 |
 | 1968 QE2 Full Gold Sovereign £ 801.28 |
 | 1913 King George v Gold Half Sovereign Coin, 3.99g, 22ct £ 435.10 |
 | 1822 George IV Gold Sovereign 22ct Gold Early Sovereign Rare Date Historic Coin £ 1,281.69 |
 | Queen Victoria 22ct Gold Sovereign Coin 1886 D.G. Britanniar Melbourne Preloved £ 1,000.00 |
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Numismatics is the study of coin collecting and it also has its own language with many words and terms. Our Glossary of Numismatic Terms give the explanation to some of these coin collecting words. To contribute terms please email them to glossary@coinparade.co.uk.