HAIRLINES

- A series of minute lines or scratches, usually visible in the field portion of a coin and caused by abrasive cleaning, polishing, or other kinds of mishandling including poor or loose storage in abrasive holders. Most evident on coins with mirror-like fields. harder to detect under fluorescent lighting.

HALO EFFECT

- The result of a hint of circulation on a coin that may otherwise appear uncirculated ie. as judged by markings, etc. When the coin is rotated in good lighting there appears to be a slight dullness or halo around the monarch's bust in the open fields. The lustre that is protected by the letters near the periphery is distinctly different. The same is true for mirrorlike fields, ie. the quality of the mirror effect is much better in the protected areas. The dulling effect is a result of the very lightest amount of contact of the coin with other objects, enough to disrupt the lustre.

HAMMERED COIN

- A coin produced by one or more hammer blows against the stem of an upper die, acting on a planchet set on an anvil die. Most ancient and medieval coins were produced by one variant or another of this process.

HANDLING

- The Physical handling of a coin. Special care must be taken in the handling of mint state examples. Improper handling may cause wear, damage to the lustre, leave contaminants on the surface to cause future damage, etc.

HARD TIMES TOKEN

- An unofficial U.S. large-cent size copper struck in a wide variety of types during 1834-1841, serving as de facto currency, and bearing a politically inspired legend; or issues with advertising as a store card.

HEADS

- The obverse side of a coin.

HEATON MINT

- Now officially known as The Birmingham Mint and located at Birmingham, England. A private Mint originally founded by Ralph Heaton in 1850 and was used by the Royal Mint in London to meet some of the coinage requirements of Canada and Newfoundland up until 1904. All Canadian coins minted here carry an H mintmark except the PEI one cent which carries none but nevertheless was a Heaton product.

"HEATON HOARD"

- Reference to a large grouping of Heaton produced coins of Canada that were sold from a hoard of extras held by the Mint. Since their discovery in 1974-75, most have now been placed with collectors.

HEIGHT OF THE DEVICE

- The thickness of the image on a coin as gauged from the surface or field.

HIGHLIGHTING

- The act of improving the overall appearance of a coin by using "dip" or other chemicals to lighten the central portion of a toned coin to project the appearance of a peripherally toned coin with frosty centre. Done to obscure a previously noticeable rub or wear (shiny metal showing) on a darkly toned coin at the highest point of the coin. Originally toned coins that have been highlighted are no longer original.

HIGH POINTS

- The highest points on the design of a coin. The first points to show wear.

HIGH RELIEF

- The designing of a die so as to create a deep, concave field upon the surface of a coin, for maximum contrast with the devices or raised parts of the coin. coins designed with a high relief require the use of increased pressure for striking, thus lessening die life, and making them harder to stack.

HIGH VALUE

- The value of a coin excessive of its normal value.

HIGH WATER MARK

- An expression generally referring to the highest priced ever recorded for a particular coin. See World Record Price.

HOARD

- Usually a deposit of coins, secreted at some time in the past, discovered accidentally. Hoards often give insights of value in historical research.

HOARD COIN

- A coin that was found in quantity in a hoard. Quantity may range from a few (relative to a few previously known and therefore a relative hoard) to many hundreds or more (for what may or may not have previously been a common coin). May also simply refer to any coin that was part of a publicized hoard eg. Heaton Hoard.

"HOBBY OF KINGS"

- Coin collecting, so referenced because it was once considered to be something that only Kings or very wealthy individuals could engage in.

HOLDER

- A coin holder used to protect coins from damage from mishandling and atmospheric contaminants. Also some are referred to as "Flips" because they consist of two clear plastic pouches - one to hold the coin and the other to slip in a card which records data - that flip over on each other into a 2x2" size for easy storage.

HOLED COIN

- A coin with a hole in it (not intended to be there by the issuing mint) and usually near the rim because it was used as jewelry, etc.

"HOLEY" DOLLAR

- The various Spanish Dollars (8 reales with their centres removed to establish them as a coin of the realm for another nation. Specifically, in 1813, the government of PEI ran into a shortage of coined money. To resolve the difficulty the Governor had the centres (plugs) removed from 1000 Spanish dollars, and had both the plugs and the resulting rings (Holey Dollar) countermarked. The rings passed as 5 shillings each and the plugs one. The original Dollars were five shillings. The Holey Dollars and plugs are both extremely rare.

HORN SILVER

- The proper chemical reference is silver chloride. Also referred to as silver "cancer" and appears as a milky white residue or film. Usually will not "dip out."

HUB

- Piece of steel with a design on it used to make working dies; will be either incuse or in relief opposite the working dies and the same as subsequent coins.

HUB VARIETY

- Difference in hubs by modification that will produce differences in working dies and subsequent coins, without change in type. Occurs mostly in modern coinage.

HYDROGEN SULPHIDE

- A gas that has a characteristic "rotten egg" smell and very quickly reacts with silver to form a tarnish that is the "colour" on coins.

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