Homepage / Bullion Investment Basics: Coin Anatomy
Last Updated on 03/01/2025
Bullion Coin
Anatomy
A bullion coin's anatomy is no different from other coins.
The Three Sides of a Coin
Everyone's flipped a coin and called "Heads" or "Tails." In terms of a coin's anatomy, "Heads" is the "Obverse" side of the coin, and "Tails" is known as the "Reverse" side.
Unless otherwise specified, the subject used to describe a bullion coin's anatomy is the 1oz. American Eagle Platinum Bullion Coin.
The Free Bullion Investment Guide has over 100 bullion coin pages; all are narrated using the terminology found on this page. (Ex: American Eagle Silver Bullion Coin)
Obverse Side
Reverse Side
Edges
The edge of a coin is commonly referred to as its third side. There are various types of edges that can be found on coins.
Reeded / Serrated Coin Edge
Lettered Edge
Plain / Smooth Edge
Grained Edge
Bullion Coin Anatomy
- Breakdown -
Field - The flat area of a coin’s surface that doesn’t have any design or inscription.
Rim - raised outer perimeter that sits on the edge of both sides of a coin.
Edge - The edge is the very outer border of a coin. Edges can be lettered, plain, reeded, or grained.
Portrait - Found on the obverse side of the coin. Common portraits include presidents, monarchs, and Lady Liberty.
Legend - Usually found at the top of a bullion coin, often referred to as the coin’s inscription.
Relief - raised art/design on the surface of a coin's field
Motto - Coin lettering or inscriptions: ex, "In God We Trust" and " "E Pluribus Unum."
Purity & Weight - States the coins' weight and the purity of the precious metal in the coin.
Face Value -
The legal tender value of a coin inscribed on the face of a coin.
Year of Issue - Indicates the year a coin was minted or issued.
Designers Initials - The initials of who designed or engraved the coin.
Free Shipping on Orders $199+ | 5.0 star Customer Reviews
Mint Marks
Mint Mark - a Letter or symbol of the mint that produced the coin.
The United States Mint puts the first letter of the Mint that produced the coin on most of their coins.
The United States Mint has four minting facilities that have their own mint mark:
- P - Philadelphia, PA
- D - Denver, CO
- S - San Francisco, CA
- W - West Point, NY
There are two exceptions where the U.S. Mint doesn't inscribe a "Mint Mark":
- The Philadelphia Mint's mark of "P" isn't always inscribed on circulated coins. (penny, nickel, dime, quarters, half-dollar and dollars)
- There are no mint marks on any United States precious metal bullion coins; these coins are mass-produced and do not come in special packaging.
Learn more about the 1oz. American Eagle Silver Bullion Coin here.
Mint Marks on other
Bullion Coins
The practice of including is not universal; some nations opt to include a mint mark on government bullion coins, while others do not.
For instance, Israel's Holy Land Mint puts its "Star of David" mint mark on their "Jerusalem of Gold" bullion coins.
Click coin images to enlarge.
Australia's Perth Mint is known for adding its "P" mint mark on most of their bullion coins, and Mexico's Mint has their mint mark of an "M under an O" on every Gold and Silver Libertad bullion coin.
However, Canada and China, in addition to the United States, do not put mint marks on their bullion coins.
Enhanced Anatomy
American Eagle Platinum
Bullion Coin
Obverse
Reverse
Other pages, on this Guide, that you
may like...
Bullion Coin Anatomy
For Bullion Market News...
Notice:
The charts, commentary, and information on the Free-Bullion-Investment-Guide.com are in no way an endorsement of how you should invest or divest.
|
Support this Guide & Paypal Thank You for Your Support |
|
|
 | |||||
Recent Articles
-
Newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide - April 2026
Apr 05, 26 04:44 PM
The April 2026 newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide provides the latest updates, fundamental and technical gold and silver market analysis, the best articles from last month, and a list of… -
Newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide - February 2026
Feb 07, 26 02:12 PM
The February 2026 newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide provides the latest updates, fundamental and technical gold and silver market analysis, the best articles from last month, and a list… -
Newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide - January 2026
Jan 07, 26 04:07 PM
The January 2026 newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide provides the latest updates, fundamental and technical gold and silver market analysis, the best articles from last month, and a list o… -
Newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide - December 2025
Dec 07, 25 04:35 PM
The December 2025 newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide provides the latest updates, fundamental and technical gold and silver market analysis, the best articles from last month, and a list… -
Newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide - November 2025
Nov 08, 25 01:58 PM
The November 2025 newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide provides the latest updates, fundamental and technical gold and silver market analysis, the best articles from last month, and a list…
18W LED Security Light (Dusk to Dawn & Motion Sensor) - $32.99
from:
LED Lighting
This website is best viewed on a desktop computer.
Keep this Guide Online
& Paypal
Thank You for
Your Support
with Feedly
Search the Guide
| search engine by freefind | advanced |
Give a lasting gift of the iconic Silver Maple Leaf bullion coin [More]
Free Shipping on Orders over $100 (CDN/USA)
The Sovereign 2026 Gold Bullion Coin in Card
Britian's
Royal Mint
Daily
Newsletter
Platinum and Palladium Bullion
Mintages
for
2025
Gold & Silver Mexican Libertad
|
Gold Libertads |
Updated Mintages for
American Gold Buffalo
American Gold Eagle
American Silver Eagle
2024 & 2025
Jerusalem of Gold Bullion
Coin photos
(bottom of page)
Chinese Gold Coin Group Co.
& Chinese Bullion
Help Us Expand our Audience by forwarding our link
www.free-bullion-investment-guide.com.
Thank You!
Last Month's
In No Particular Order
March 2026
US Dollar Demand Soars: Dedollarization Was a Fabrication of the Bull Market - Daniel Lacalle
Video: (04:51) WisdomTree CEO Is Going All In on Gold - Jonathan Steinberg, founder and CEO of WisdomTree, tells Barron’s Andy Serwer how gold and metals can be a strong alternative to the dollar and Bitcoin - BARRON'S
Are Central Banks Selling Gold? - Gold holdings of Turkey's central bank are down a lot, but Turkey is an outlier in EM - Robin J. Brooks (Substack)
Advisors want to bask in gold's warm glow, says Jan van Eck - Investment News
(.pdf) Report: Powertrain shifts spark PGM optimism - Metals Focus
American Gold Rushes: North Carolina (1799–1849) vs. California (1848–1898) - America’s resource extraction history hinges on two gold rushes with practically paradoxical origins - MINING VISUALS
If The World Is On Fire, Why Is Gold Getting Cheaper? - Trefis
Banks seize on precious metals trading boom - International Finance Review (IFR)
Video Short: FINDING FAKE GOLD BULLION (HAVE YOUR BULLION CHECKED) - Happy Jewelers (YouTube)
Gold Update : When the Dollar Wears the Crown Even Gold Steps Aside - The explanation is not that gold has lost its appeal. It simply means the market is still hoarding cash before deciding how to protect purchasing power - The Dark Side of the Boom
Report: Beyond “Dr. Copper”: Copper’s Strategic Shift - Sprott
What is the IRS loophole for gold? - The IRS loophole could help you save substantially on the taxes tied to your gold assets - CBS News (msn)
Bargain Collector: Five-Ounce Silver Quarters, Really? - Numismatic News
Report: Silver: The Forgotten Metal That Built Civilizations — 5,000 Years & The $100+ Reckoning - From Mesopotamian shekels to the $100+ supercycle: the complete, unvarnished story of the most undervalued metal on Earth - Capital Street FX
Platinum is back. So why are its miners shunning growth? - mining_mx
Gold CFDs Vs Silver CFDs (Contract for Difference): Which Metal Is Safer For A Small Account Scalper? - EBC Financial Group
(.pdf) Charts: India Monthly Chartbook - March 2026 - Metals Focus
More PGM potential for South Africa as Palladium Center returns with major new insight - MINING WEEKLY
Item of the Week: Low Mintage Makes 1928 Peace Dollar a Tough Find - With a mintage under 400,000, the 1928 Peace dollar stands as the series’ lowest-production issue—though its true scarcity comes with the complexities of silver dollar history. - Numismatic News
RANKED: Top 10 gold mining companies of 2025 - MINING.COM
Info~Graphic: Mapped: Top Marginal Income Tax Rates by State in 2026 - Visual Capitalist
|
All Articles were Originally Posted on the Homepage Gold Nanoparticle Cancer ResearchThe Role of Gold in Technology: 5 High-Tech Uses - Securities.io Synthesis Strategies, Therapeutic Roles, and Clinical Progress of Gold Nanoparticles in Biomedical Engineering - Nano Select Optimizing gold nanoparticles for better medical imaging, drug delivery, and cancer therapy - PHYS.org (msn) One-hour saliva test spots biomarker linked to several cancers - Medical Express (msn) Korean researchers unveil rapid diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer - Korea Joongang Daily |
All Articles were Originally Posted on the Homepage