Numismatic terms

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Some terms explained:

Term	Explanation
Adjusting	Making an overweight blank lighter by filing or cutting off some metal.
Alloy	Mixture of metals.
Ask price	Price asked for a good (e.g. precious metal). See also offer price.
Offer price	Price at which a good (e.g. precious metals) is offered. See also Ask price.
Officina	On Roman coins: sign of a subdivision (officina) of a city Mint.
Order in council	Form of regulation from the king, not necessarily passing through parliament. Early coin and monetary regulations are often orders in council.
Overstrike	1. A coin struck over another coin, without melting the original. Often, traces of the original coin remain visible. 2. a new date engraved over an older one. Often, traces of the original number still show. Fraudsters may change a common date into a rare one. This is not an overstrike but a forgery.
Patina	Weathering on the metal. Patina is a positive addition to a coin and a mark of genuineness on classical coins, so it should not be removed. Patina can be applied chemically. This is often the case on faked classical coins, in order to make them appear genuine. Artificial patina is also used to remove the shine on medals and to enhance their relief.

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