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What is a coin relief?
What’s the meaning of it and what is a high-relief coin?
Learn it right below in my quick guide.
- What is a Coin Relief (Meaning and Definition)?
- What is a High Relief Coin (Meaning and Definition)?
- What is a Low Relief Coin (Meaning and Definition)?
- What is an Ultra High Relief Coin?
- What is a High Relief Proof Coin?
- Do Gold IRA Coins Have High or Low Reliefs?
Here’s an awesome quiz about coin reliefs and also high relief coins. Take it after you’ve read this guide for best results.
Table of Contents
What is a Coin Relief (Meaning and Definition)?
A coin relief is the raised portion of its design, opposite of an incuse design. It’s the three-dimensional aspect of the coin’s imagery and text, standing out from the flat background (coin field).
The height and depth of the relief varies, influencing the coin’s appearance and value, particularly among coin collectors.
See below examples of both high relief and low relief coins.
What is a High Relief Coin (Meaning and Definition)?
A high relief coin is a coin with a design that’s significantly raised above the coin’s surface, creating a three-dimensional effect and enhancing visual details.
High relief makes the coin stand out from standard coins and resemble a tiny sculpture or a medallion. These coins cannot stack easily. Their elevated images create a unique profile, differentiating high relief coins from standard coins that lie flat.
High relief coins are struck differently than normal coins. The minting process involves additional strikes with greater pressure, ensuring the details are pronounced and well-defined.
Coin collectors love high relief coins for their artistic qualities and rarity.
Good examples of high relief coins are Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle and the 1984 Olympic Gold Coins, which feature designs celebrating specific events.
How to Tell if a Coin is High Relief?
To tell if a coin is a high relief you need to focus on high relief coin characteristics and whether they’re present or not in the coin you’re testing.
- Visual Depth-Â look for defined design elements that cast noticeable shadows on the surface. High relief coins display pronounced contrasts between raised features and the flat background.
- Thickness Comparison- measure the coin’s thickness. Ultra-high relief coins are approximately 28% thicker than standard high relief coins and different coins and have different designs.
- Edge Stacking- assess how a coin stacks with others. High relief coins resist stacking since their designs protrude significantly.
- Production Marks- check for signs of multiple strikes or specialized dies. High relief coins often have limited mintages due to the production complexity.
- Documentation- review certifications or mint specifications for details on the relief type. Documentation often confirms the coin’s high relief status.
What is a Low Relief Coin (Meaning and Definition)?
A low relief coin is a coin with design only slightly raised above the background. Low reliefs makes it easier to produce such coins and makes them more resistant to wear and tear than high relief coins.
Low relief coins are also known as bas-relief.
A good example of low relief coin is the Peace Silver Dollar, a United States dollar coin minted from 1921 to 1935 and again in 2021 for collectors.
What is an Ultra High Relief Coin?
Ultra high relief coin is a type of numismatic coin with a design that’s significantly raised above the coin’s surface. Ultra high relief creates a more pronounced three-dimensional effect compared to standard or high relief coins.
Meaning the details of the coin’s imagery extend further and more dramatically above the coin’s field.
2009 ultra-high relief Double Eagle Gold coin is a good example of an ultra high relief coin.
What is a High Relief Proof Coin?
A high relief proof coin is a specialized type of coin characterized by designs that are raised more prominently above the coin’s surface than in standard coins.
Proof coins, in general, are produced with a mirror-like finish and frosted relief, while high relief coins further emphasize the three-dimensionality of the design, often with a deeper, brighter luster.
High relief proof coins often undergo a specific treatment to enhance their designs.
Handled with care, high relief proof coins are not touched during processing to avoid any markings. This attention to detail is crucial in preserving their quality and shine.
1922 Peace Dollar, High Relief, Matte Proof is a good example of a high relief proof coin.
Do Gold IRA Coins Have High or Low Reliefs?
Gold IRA coins generally have high relief designs.
Meaning the raised areas on these coins are significantly elevated, creating a prominent, detailed image.
However, it’s not a hard rule that gold IRA coins must have high reliefs.
The IRS mandates gold IRA coins be at least 99.5% pure and be produced by a refiner, assayer, or manufacturer accredited by recognized financial exchanges like NYMEX or COMEX.
The focus is on the metal’s purity and source, not the coin surface’s relief level.
These metal-purity rules apply to IRA-approved gold, IRA-eligible silver, IRA-approved platinum and IRA-eligible palladium. These four noble metals are eligible to form a part of a gold IRA account.
| Precious Metals | Purity Standard |
|---|---|
| Gold | .995 purity or higher |
| Silver | .999 purity or higher |
| Platinum | .9995 purity or higher |
| Palladium | .9995 purity or higher |
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What is a Coin Relief (Meaning)? And What is a High Relief Coin? Conclusion
A coin relief is the raised portion of its design, opposite of an incuse design. It’s the three-dimensional aspect of the coin’s imagery and text, standing out from the flat background.
The height and depth of the relief varies, influencing the coin’s appearance and value, particularly among coin collectors.
A high relief coin is a coin with a design that’s significantly raised above the coin’s surface, creating a three-dimensional effect and enhancing visual details.
Note: visit our online jewelry store and see which gold coins replicas we sell. They’re not real gold coins, but they’re excellent nonetheless.
References:
- What is the Relief of a Coin?- https://www.govmint.com/coin-authority/post/what-is-the-relief-of-a-coin
- What are Ultra High Relief Coins?- https://www.govmint.com/coin-authority/post/what-are-ultra-high-relief-coins
- High Relief and Ultra High Relief: What Are They?- https://www.parthavacoin.com/blogs/parthava-blog/high-relief-and-ultra-high-relief-what-are-they
- Saint-Gaudens double eagle- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Gaudens_double_eagle
- Peace dollar- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_dollar
Nikola Roza
Nikola Roza is a blogger behind Nikola Roza- SEO for the Poor and Determined. He writes for bloggers who don't have huge marketing budget but still want to succeed. Nikola is passionate about precious metals IRAs and how to invest in gold and silver for a safer financial future. Learn about Nikola here.
