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

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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