NUMISMATIC VOCABULARY Publique Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 5, Number 30, July 21, 2002, Article 10
NUMISMATIC VOCABULARY
Kavan Ratnatunga writes: "I have seen the word "notaphilist"
used in a book, but not sure if that Author made it up for the
topic of "Paper Money" collecting. It would probably be
something that anyone would probably understand."Gar Travis, who coined the words "numigeoarthistography"
and "numigeoarthistographer", writes: "What about a name
for the collectors of currency - "Notephilists" (pronounced:
No-tea-fillists)?Of course I worry about the interpretation of words in circles
other than those in which they are commonly utilized. Imagine
if you told the local Sheriff that there were a group of
"Sygraphists" at the local meeting spot? How long would it
take him to "get up the dawgs"?Dave Bowers writes: "I think that the word "syngraphics" is
one that has never made it on its own into numismatic language.
I remember the late Grover Criswell saying it was confusing
and even sounded "sinful," and that a better term should be
devised. In many years of buying, selling, and researching
paper money I don't recall ever having heard anyone
introducing himself/herself as a "syngraphist".However, the equally improbable "exonumia" and the rarer
usage, "exonumist," did catch on and are widely used today.When I was a kid a trick word was "exergue," meaning the
place in the field of a coin or medal in which a date or other
small notation was made, as in: "The 1916 Standing Liberty
quarter has its date in the exergue." However, I don't think
I have ever had anyone use the term in conversation or in a
letter.COIN WORLD has come up with some curious, sometimes
awkward terminology, such as "Winged Liberty Head" dime
for what most of us call the "Mercury" dime. Enough people
follow COIN WORLD that I regularly hear the "Winged
Liberty Head" term used."[An internet search for terms mentioned in this issue turned
up the following results - Editor]bibliomania - 216,000 matches
exergue - 50,000 matches (mostly in French)
bingle - 13,700 matches (mostly proper names or German)
exonumia - 4,590 matches
syngraphics - 158 matches
notaphilist - 23 matches
numigeoarthistography - 3 matches- 2002-07-21
- 5