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 not meant to encourage you to invest or divest in any particular way.
|
Support this Guide & Paypal Thank You for Your Support |
|
|
 | |||||
Recent Articles
-
Premium Bullion - 1 oz Silver Majestic Polar Bear Coin
May 18, 25 04:17 PM
The Premium Bullion - 1oz Silver Majestic Polar Bear coins are specially made for collectors and investors alike; they are made of 99.99% pure silver and have a limited mintage; it is in an assay card… -
Latest Update (3/14/25) from the Free Bullion Investment Guide
Mar 14, 25 11:23 PM
Free Bullion Investment Guide's Latest Updates: Mexican Gold and Silver Libertad - 2024 Mintage Figures & more... -
Newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide - February 2025
Feb 12, 25 03:58 PM
The February 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 - January 2025
Jan 13, 25 11:28 AM
The January 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 o… -
Newsletter of the Free Bullion Investment Guide - December 2024
Dec 12, 24 08:43 PM
The December 2024 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 |
Daily
Newsletter
Newsletter
2024 & 2025
Jerusalem of Gold Bullion
Coin photos
(bottom of page)
Mintages
for
2024
Gold & Silver Mexican Libertad
|
Gold Libertads |
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
September 2025
|
Info~Graphic: How Much Metal Can $10K Buy? - Visual Capitalist Precious Metal Price Forecasts 2025: Gold, Silver Platinum and Palladium - Will human forecasts or AI predictions prove most accurate for precious metals in 2025...?- Bullion Vault The Bullish Case For Palladium - The Bubble Bubble Report Why Central Banks Are Turning to Silver — and Why You Should Too - Wealth Daily Gold: The Only Clock That Doesn’t Lie - The Dark Side Of The Boom Lacalle: The Fed Caused High Inflation and the Current Jobs Slump - Hedgeye GOLD SCAM ALERT: Scammers Using Couriers To Pick Up Gold Bars and Cash - WLTX-TV South Carolina Portfolio Pivot: From Bonds to Tangibles - The Assay Wall Street Finally Embraces Gold - 60/40 portfolio allocation becomes 60/20/20- John Rubino's Substack How—and Why—U.S. Capitalism Is Unlike Any Other - "Nowhere else is risk-taking so encouraged—and not coincidentally, nowhere else has innovation thrived as it has here. Both law and culture helped to shape our capitalism in ways that reflect the spirit of the American Revolution."- The Wall Street Journal (msn) Info~Graphic: Ranked: The 5 Largest Gold Producing Countries (2010–2024) - Visual Capitalist Goldilocks and the three rate paths - The economic uncertainties this year dwarf those of past years, but some clarity may be on the way. - Adberdeen Investments When to Buy Dips and Sell Rips - The Bubble Bubble Report Report: Gold ETFs, holdings and flows - World Gold Council 7 Clues to Watch for Signs Gold and Silver Prices Are Running Out of Gas - barchart Gold Isn't Going Up, Your Money Is Just Losing Value - The Bubble Bubble Report Precious Metals and Critical Minerals Feeling Market Love- A “commodity supercycle” is a period of consistent price increases lasting more than five years, and in some cases, decades - Ahead of the Herd The Gold "Fear Trade" is On - Ahead of the Herd Info~Graphic: Top 20 Primary Silver Mines 2024 - Mining Visuals Gold: All That Glints is Ablaze - But when central banks buy, the metal vanishes into deep storage. Those bars get locked in a vault and forgotten, collecting dust for decades - The Dark Side of the Boom (Substack) Pt Prices Rise on Speculation, Market Deficit - argus Gold Nanoparticle Cancer ResearchGold and Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Tackle Hypoxic Tumour Resistance - Scientists have shown that gold and titanium dioxide nanoparticles can help radiation kill cancer cells even when oxygen is scarce. It's a major breakthrough for tackling hypoxia-linked treatment resistance - AZOnano Gold Nanoparticles and DNA, a Revolutionary Duo for Medicine: Nanoconjugates in the Fight with Cancer and Other Diseases - EIN Presswire UA Little Rock Student Earns Second SURF Grant for Cancer Research - University of Arkansas at Little Rock |
All Articles were Originally Posted on the Homepage