Vorzüglich (preservation grade)
Vorzüglich is a grade in the German classification of coin preservation, corresponding to the English Extremely Fine (XF/EF) and denoting minimal wear.
Numismatic encyclopaedia
The AUREA numismatic encyclopaedia explains the terms you meet in catalogues and in the saleroom — obverse and reverse, fineness and hallmarks, grades of preservation, starting price, bid increment and auctioneer. Besides terminology it carries entries on rulers, mints and the historical events that shaped what was struck. Entries are arranged alphabetically and cross-linked.
Vratislaus I
Vratislaus I. Vratislaus I was a Přemyslid duke who ruled in Bohemia approximately in the years 915-921 and is associated with the consolidation of the early duchy around Prague. In the chronicles he is remembered as…
Vratislaus II
Vratislaus II. Vratislaus II was a Přemyslid duke (1061-1085) and the first Bohemian king (1085/1086-1092) whose reign strengthened the international standing of Bohemia within the Empire. He was renowned for his loyal…
Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad. Vyšehrad and its mint represent a significant chapter in early mediaeval Bohemian coinage, when at this strategic site above the Vltava one of the oldest Bohemian mints operated from the end of the 10th…
Wage
Wage. A wage is a monetary remuneration for work performed, which represents the basic mechanism for distributing the value created by economic activity between employee and employer. This fundamental economic…
Wall Street
Wall Street. Wall Street is a street in Lower Manhattan in New York that has become a symbol of American financial markets and capital. In a wider sense it also denotes the entire environment of exchanges, banks and…
War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession. The War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) was a European war triggered by a dispute over succession in the Habsburg Monarchy after the death of Emperor Charles VI. Part of the…
War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession. The War of the Spanish Succession was a major European conflict waged from 1701 to 1714, which broke out after the extinction of the Spanish Habsburgs and the dispute over who would…
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett. Warren Buffett is an American investor and businessman who built the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate and became the most successful investor of all time, with an average annual return of over 20 % for…
Warsaw
Warsaw. Warsaw is the capital of Poland, lying on the Vistula river, and the country's largest cultural, political and economic centre. It has a long history bound up with Polish statehood, the dramatic events of the…
Warsaw Mint
Warsaw Mint. Warsaw Mint (Polish: Mennica Warszawska) is the historical and present-day designation for coin production in Warsaw, which has ensured the striking of Polish circulating coins, commemorative issues and…
Wartime mintages
Wartime mintages. Wartime mintages are coins issued in time of war or long-term crisis, when the state or local administration is dealing with a shortage of metal, money and a sudden need for circulation. They often…
Washington
Washington. Washington (Washington, D.C.) is the capital of the United States of America, a separate federal district lying between Maryland and Virginia. It is the seat of the president, Congress and the highest…
Washington Declaration
Washington Declaration. The Washington Declaration was a political proclamation of Czechoslovak independence announced on 18 October 1918 in Washington. The document formulated the reasons for separation from…
Watermark
Watermark. A watermark is a security feature in the paper of banknotes, securities and documents, visible against the light as a lighter and darker image created directly in the structure of the paper. It serves to…
Weak strike
A weak strike is a type of mint error in which the relief of the coin is incomplete or weakly visible due to insufficient pressure during striking or contamination of the die.
Wealth
Wealth. Wealth denotes the sum of resources and values which a person or society possesses, typically property, savings and other assets, but sometimes also intangible "capitals" (knowledge, contacts). In economics it…
Wedding coinage
Wedding coinage. Wedding strikes are coins and medals issued on the occasion of the wedding (or its anniversary) of a ruler or another important personage. These are commemorative issues that recall a dynastic union…
Weighed metal
Weighed metal is a form of precious metal, most often silver, used as pre-monetary tender whose value was determined solely by its weight and fineness.
Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic. The Weimar Republic was the democratic state form of Germany from 1918 to 1933, named after the town of Weimar where its constitution was adopted. It arose after defeat in the First World War and ended…
Wen
Wen. The wen was the basic Chinese copper or bronze coin of circular shape with a square hole in the middle, used for centuries as everyday small change. It was most often strung onto a cord into bundles, and its value…
Wenceslas I
Wenceslas I. Wenceslas I was a Czech king of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned from 1230 to 1253 and continued the stabilising policy of his father Ottokar I. His reign brought the development of royal towns and…
Wenceslas II
Wenceslas II was a Czech and Polish king of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned from 1278 to 1305 and became famous for the monetary reform with which he introduced the Prague groschen.
Wenceslas III
Wenceslas III. Wenceslas III was a Czech king of the Přemyslid dynasty, who reigned from 1305 to 1306 and shortly before this also acted as king of Hungary. His reign was very short, yet he intervened in the disputes…