Glossary of Numismatic Terms

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G

German silver: An alloy of copper, nickel and zinc but no silver. Also called American silver, alpaca, Feuchtwanger's composition, nickel silver.

gold certificate: A form of U.S. paper money once redeemable in gold coin. Temporarily made illegal for most to hold between 1933 and 1964.

golden dollar: Term used by the U.S. Mint to describe the manganese-brass clad composition used for the Sacagawea, Presidential and Native American dollars. Contains no gold content.

goldine: A gold-colored finish often used for medals or tokens.

grading: The process of determining a coin's condition.