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Oberse / Reverse?
Why are the two faces of coins and medals and suchlike designated "obverse" and "reverse" instead of something more obvious like "front" and "back?" There must be an excellent historical reason, and I'd love to know what it is.
2 Answers
- TaipingLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
Actually even the mints of the world say, front and back sometimes. I doubt there is a historical reason, for I would have heard of it by now. Mints and collectors have just used the terms for quite a long time, just as currency collectors use the terms front and back. I do know that sometimes the catalogs and the mints disagrees on which side is which. Alan Herbert writes a column for Numismatic News called "Coin Clinic" he may be able to get you the answer you need. Email him at answerman2@aol.com.
Source(s): 46 years a numismatist.
