The term uncirculated coin can refer to three things:
* A
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
that is released to the public but not intended for general circulation (i.e. not used as
money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...
although it is still
legal tender
Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in ...
) but is available through a mint or through a local
coin dealer.
* A coin that has been
graded as 60+ on the
Sheldon or
European grading systems.
* The process by which a coin is made. The
US Mint uses this definition for the coins in the
uncirculated coin set that it sells. For these coins, adjustments are made to the minting process which result in a more
proof-like finish. These include using a higher force during
coining, the use of fresh
dies, and special cleaning.
See also
*
Proof coinage
Proof coinage refers to special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the dies (as in demonstrating that something is true) and for archival purposes. Nowadays proofs are often struck in greater numbers specially for co ...
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uncirculated coin
Production of coins