- California Special
- An artificially enhanced coin, most commonly a Morgan silver dollar.
"California Specials" first surfaced in the early 1970s. Coin doctors would
take a slightly prooflike specimen, give it a high mirror gloss in the
fields by polishing it heavily, then apply some sort of acid etch to the
raised devices. This simulated a "cameo" contrast while improving the coin's
desirability and, hence, its asking price. A few California Specials still
turn up on occasion and will fool the majority of collectors and many
inexperienced dealers. Any bagmarks on the face are frosted instead of
shiny--a dead giveaway. All appear identical, regardless of the date and
mintmark of the underlying coin. This is never the case in the real world
since different mints produced different qualities of prooflike
surface.
- Carbon-free
- What caffeine-free is to Coke, carbon-free is to the surface of coins.
Often, carbon spots will form on the surface of silver, nickel, or copper
coins, damaging them to a certain extent and lowering the value. Caused by
impurities in the air and/or metallic alloy of the coin.
- Cartwheel
- (1) Another name for any silver dollar, (2) a term used to describe the
coruscating luster often seen on a Blazer Uncirculated coin, (3) England's
hefty 1797 copper twopenny coin.
- Chop Marks
- Found primarily on American Trade Dollars dated 1873-1878 and Japanese
Yen (1870-1914) that circulated in China. Chinese businessmen, ever watchful
for fakes, placed their sign or "chop" on any of these trade coins that
passed muster. Numerous pieces are found with multiple, sometimes scores, of
chop marks on both sides.
- Cincies
- 1936 Cincinnati commemorative half dollars.
- Clear
- A coin in a clear plastic PCGS holder. See
Pigs,
white,
slab,
sideways.
- Circle It
- When a dealer buys a coin from a fellow dealer the seller usually writes
the price on the envelope or holder and circles it. "Circle It" is a
shorthand way of saying "Okay, I'll buy it." For example: "What's your best
shot on the Schoolgirl?" "How's about twenty-six five?" "Has it been
flogged around?" "Nope, it's
fresh. I just put it out; you're the
first one who's seen it [lie]." "Okay, circle it!"
- Close
- As in not-far. See slider.
- Commem
- Commemorative.
- Copper Coins
- Code name for Marijuana. See
silver coins.
- Cowboy Dollars
- European nickname for American silver dollars. At one Swedish coin show
a British dealer (who must remain anonymous to protect his wife and
children) brought along 1,000 circulated silver dollars, billing them as
"Cowboy Dollars". Wholesale value at the time was $6 apiece; his asking
price, $30. Net result: complete sellout! He phoned his assistant to hop the
next plane out of London with the other two bags in stock!
- CW
- Coin World. Chief numismatic publication of the day, begun
in 1960. Subscribers as of February 1995: 69,000. See
politically correct.
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Numismatica / 15 Sep 2003