B
bag
mark
A generic term applied to a mark on a coin from another
coin; it may, or may not, have been incurred in a bag.
beaded
border
Small, round devices around the edge of a coin, often
seen on early U.S. coins. These were replaced by dentils.
bid
The buying quotation of a coin either on a trading network,
pricing newsletter, or other medium.
Bluesheet
Slang for the Certified Coin Dealer Newsletter.
BN
Short for Brown
Braided
Hair
Style of hair on half cents and large cents from 1840
onward consisting of hair pull back into a tight bun with
a braided hair cord.
breast
feathers
The central feathers seen on numerous eagle designs. Fully
struck coins usually command a premium and the breast
feathers are usually the highest point of the reverse.
(They are the most deeply recessed area of the die, so
metal sometimes does not completely fill the breast feather
area, usually because of insufficient striking pressure.
Incorrectly spaced or lapped dies will also cause “striking”
weakness.)
Breen
Slang for the late Walter Breen. Often heard in context
of Breen letter, Breen said, Breen wrote, and so on. A
controversial personal life has dimmed the impact Breen
had on numismatics.
Breen
Book
Slang for Walter Breen’s magnum opus, Complete Encyclopedia
of U.S. and Colonial Coins, published in 1988.
brilliant
A coin with full luster, unimpeded by toning, or impeded
only by extremely light toning.
Brilliant Uncirculated
A generic term applied to any coin that has not been in
circulation. It often is applied to coins with little
"brilliance" left, which properly should be
described as simply Uncirculated.
bronze
An alloy of copper, tin and zinc, with copper the principal
metal.
Brown
The term applied to a copper coin that no longer has the
red color of copper. There are many "shades"
of brown color – mahogany, chocolate, etc. (abbreviated
as BN when used as part of a grade).
Buffalo
nickel
Slang for the Indian Head nickel struck from 1913 to 1938.
The animal depicted is an American Bison.
business strike
A regular issue coin, struck on regular planchets by dies
given normal preparation. These are the coins struck for
commerce that the Mint places into circulation.
bust
The head and shoulders of the emblematic Liberty seen
on many United States issues
Bust
dollar
Slang for silver dollars struck from 1795-1803. (Those
dated 1804 were first struck in 1834 for inclusion in
Proof sets. Those Proofs dated 1801, 1802, and 1803 were
also struck at dates later than indicated.)