The term obverse, and its opposite, reverse, describe the two sides of units of currency and many other kinds of two-sided objects, most often in reference to coins, but also to medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art. The terms may respectively be interchanged with the more casual but less precise terms "front" and "back," or (for coins only) "heads" and "tails." In many such areas other than coins, reverse is much more commonly used than obverse, and front and reverse may also be used. The terms can also describe the front and back of a flag (see Flag terminology). Look up Antonym in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Theater This page is about the ancient city Side on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. ... A coin is usually a piece of hard material, generally metal, usually in the shape of a disc, and most often issued by a government, to be used as a form of money in transactions. ... A Medal is a word used for various types of compact objects: a wearable medal awarded by an authority government for services redered, especially to a country (such as Armed force service); strictly speaking this only refers to a medal of coin-like appearance, but informally the word also refers... Drawing involves the choice of one or more tools from a wide variety and the choice of a support appropriate to that tool in order to make marks. ... The term Old Master Print is used to describe works of art produced by a printing process within the Western tradition (European or New World). ... A front, in addition to its common dictionary meanings, may specifically refer to: a weather front, a boundary of two airmasses a military front, an area where armies are engaged in conflict a Front (Soviet Army), a major military subdivision of the Soviet Army a front organization or front company... Look up Back in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Dannebrog, national flag of Denmark. ... The design and description of flags typically uses specialised flag terminology with precise and technical meanings (a form of jargon). ...

A Roman imperial coin; these established the obverse "head" and reverse "tail" convention that still dominates much coinage today

Recto and Verso are the equivalent terms for front and back used for the pages of books, especially illuminated manuscripts, and also often for prints and drawings. Image File history File links Antoninianus_Tacitus-s3315. ... Image File history File links Antoninianus_Tacitus-s3315. ... A chained book in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University A Chinese bamboo book, in a collection at the University of California, Riverside. ... In the strictest definition of illuminated manuscript, only manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, like this miniature of Christ in Majesty from the Aberdeen Bestiary (folio 4v), would be considered illuminated. ... Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. ... Drawing is one way of making an image: it is the process of making marks on a surface by applying pressure from or moving a tool on the surface. ...

Which is which?

Obverse of Tetradrachym of Alexander the Great as god-king, in this case wearing the attributes of Heracles 325BC

In a Western monarchy, it has been usual, following the tradition of the Hellenistic monarchs and then the Roman emperors, for the currency to bear the head of the monarch on one side, which is almost always regarded as the obverse. However in Ancient Greek monarchical coinage the situation is often reversed, and a larger image, often of a god or goddess, is called the obverse, whilst a smaller image of a king is called the reverse. In the many republics, such as Athens or Corinth, one side would have a symbol of the state, sometimes a goddess, which remained constant through all the coins of that state, and is regarded as the obverse. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... Hercules, a Roman bronze (Louvre Museum) For other uses, see Heracles (disambiguation). ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A monarchy, from the Greek μονος, one, and αρχειν, to rule, is a form of government that has a monarch as head of state(KING)In most monarchies the monarch usually reigns as head of state for life; this is... The Hellenistic period of Greek history was the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the annexation of the Greek peninsula and islands by Rome in 146 BC. Although the establishment of Roman rule did not break the continuity of Hellenistic society and culture, which... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... The history of Ancient Greek coinage can be divided (along with most other Greek art forms), into three periods, the Archaic, the Classical and the Hellenistic. ... A listing of Greek mythological beings. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica prefecture of Southern Greece. ... Corinth, or Korinth (Greek: Κόρινθος, Kórinthos; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a Greek city-state, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ...

The change happened in the coinage of Alexander the Great , which continued to be minted long after his death. After his conquest of Egypt he allowed himself to be depicted on the obverse as a god-king, at least partly because he thought this would help secure the alliegance of the Egyptians, who had regarded their previous monarchs, the Pharohs as divine. The various Hellenisic rulers who were his successors kept their busts on the obverse. Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... This article refers to the historical Pharaoh. ...

Solidus of Justinian II, second reign, after 705. Christ is on the obverse, the Emperor on the reverse

A movement back to the opposite situation occurred in Byzantine coinage, where a head of Christ became the obverse, and a head or portrait (half or full-length) of the emperor the reverse. The introduction of this style in the gold coins of Justinian II from 695 provoked the Islamic Caliph Abd al-Malik, who had previously copied Byzantine designs, replacing Christian symbols with Islamic equivalents, finally to develop a distinctive Islamic style, with just lettering on both sides of their coins. This was then used on nearly all Islamic coinage until the modern period. The type of Justinian II was revived after the end of Iconoclasm, and with variations remained the norm until the end of the Empire. Justinian II. Second Reign, 705-711 AD. AV Solidus (4. ... Justinian II. Second Reign, 705-711 AD. AV Solidus (4. ... Justinian II, known as Rhinotmetus (the Split-nosed) (669-711) was a Byzantine emperor of the Heraclian Dynasty, reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 704 to 711. ... Anastasius 40 nummi (M) and 5 nummi (E) Byzantine currency, money used in the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the West, consisted of mainly two types of coins: the gold solidus and a variety of clearly valued bronze coins. ... Justinian II, known as Rhinotmetus (the Split-nosed) (669-711) was a Byzantine emperor of the Heraclian Dynasty, reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 704 to 711. ... For main article see: Caliphate Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, or global Islamic nation. ... Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (646-705) (Arabic: عبد المالك بن مروان ) was an Umayyad caliph. ... Illustration of the Beeldenstorm during the Dutch reformation Iconoclasm is the destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually for religious or political motives. ...

Tetradrachma from Athens about 490 BC. The head of Athena, left, is regarded as the obverse because of its larger scale, and because it is a portrait head

Generally, if in doubt, the side with the larger scale image will be called the obverse (especially if a single head), and if that does not serve to distinguish them, the side that is more typical of a wide range of coins from that location will be called the obverse. Following this principle, in the most famous of Greek coins, the tetradrachm of Athens, the obverse is the head of Athena and the reverse is her Owl. Similar versions of these two images, both symbols of the state, were used on these coins for over two centuries. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Helmeted Athena, of the Velletri type. ... ISO 4217 Code GRD User(s) Greece Inflation 3. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica prefecture of Southern Greece. ... Helmeted Athena, of the Velletri type. ... Families Strigidae Tytonidae Ogygoptyngidae (fossil) Palaeoglaucidae (fossil) Protostrigidae (fossil) Sophiornithidae (fossil) Synonyms Strigidae sensu Sibley & Ahlquist Owls are a group of birds of prey. ...

It is therefore not always easy to tell which side will be regarded as the obverse without some knowledge. Islamic coins after 695 avoided all images of persons, and usually just contained script; in general the side with the larger script is called the obverse. In illustrations showing both sides of a coin, the obverse is usually on the left of or above the reverse, but not invariably. Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ...

Silver Rupee using Mughal conventions, in fact minted by the British East India Company Madras Presidency between 1817-35. Special knowledge is needed to say which side would be regarded as the obverse

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... East India Company was the name of several historic European companies chartered with the monopoly of trading with Asia for their respective countries. ... Madras refers to: the Indian city of Chennai, formerly known as Madras, the former Indian state, now known as Tamil Nadu (Plural of Madra): Ancient people of Iranian affinites, who lived in northwest Panjab in the Uttarapatha division of ancient India. ...

Modern coins

The form of currency follows its function, which is to serve as a readily accepted medium of exchange of value. Normally, this function rests on a state as guarantor of the value: either as trustworthy guarantor of the kind and amount of metal in a coin, or as powerful guarantor of the continuing acceptance of token coins. Traditionally, most states have been monarchies where the person of the monarch and the state were for most purposes equivalent. For this reason, the obverse side of a modern piece of currency is the one that evokes that reaction by invoking the strength of the state, and that side almost always depicts a symbol of the state, or the monarch, or any well-known representative of the state. Form follows function is a principle associated with Modern architecture and industrial design in the 20th Century. ... A medium of exchange is an intermediary used in trade to avoid the inconveniences of a pure barter system. ... In general, the economic value of something is how much a product or service is worth to someone relative to other things (often measured in money). ... A state is a set of institutions that possess the authority to make the rules that govern the people in one or more societies, having internal and external sovereignty over a definite territory. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily loses electrons to form positive ions (cations) and has metallic bonds between metal atoms. ... A coin is usually a piece of hard material, generally metal, usually in the shape of a disc, and most often issued by a government, to be used as a form of money in transactions. ... A rare and historic Bechuanaland Border Police canteen token. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A monarchy, from the Greek μονος, one, and αρχειν, to rule, is a form of government that has a monarch as head of state(KING)In most monarchies the monarch usually reigns as head of state for life; this is... Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Coins and banknotes ("bills", in American and Canadian usage) have two sides, and the secondary side (the reverse) is seldom wasted; various pieces of information directly relating to its role as medium of exchange can occur there (if not provided for on the obverse), and additional space is likely to be used propagandistically, evoking some treasured aspect of the state's territory, its philosophy of governing, or its people's culture. In any case, this secondary side is usually less focused, and probably always less central, than the obverse, to the facilitation of the acceptance of the currency. A £20 Bank of England banknote. ... An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One U.S. propaganda poster, which warns against civilians sharing information on troop movements (National Archives) The much-imitated 1914 Lord Kitchener Wants You! poster Swedish Anti-Euro propaganda for the referendum of 2003. ... Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ...

The Euro

There has been much confusion regarding the obverse and reverse of the euro. Officially, the common side is the reverse and the national side is the obverse; it's a popular and common misconception, however, that the common side is the obverse. A number of the designs used for national sides (the obverse of euro coins) were used on the reverse of the old pre-euro coins of the individual countries. For other uses, see Euro (disambiguation) or EUR (disambiguation). ...

Coins of the USA

Some modern states specify, by law or published policy, what appears (and sometimes what will appear) on the obverse and reverse of their currency. (The specifications mentioned here imply the use of all upper-case letters, though they appear here in mixed case for the sake of readability of the article.) Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ... Look up policy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up legibility in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The U.S. Government long adhered to including all of the following: ...

• Obverse:
  • "Liberty"
  • "In God We Trust"
  • The four digits of a year, that of minting and/or issue
• Reverse:
  • "United States of America"
  • "E Pluribus Unum"
  • Words (not digits) expressing the name or assigned value of the item, e.g. "Quarter Dollar", "One Dime", "Five Cents"

However, the ten-year series of Statehood Quarters, whose issue began in 1999, was seen as calling for more space and more flexibility in the design of the reverse. A law specific to this series and the corresponding time period permits the following: Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix, refers to the classical conception of the Goddess Liberty. ... In God We Trust on the twenty dollar bill In God We Trust is the national motto of the United States of America. ... E pluribus unum is includeds in the Great Seal of the United States E pluribus unum was one of the first national mottos of the United States of America. ... Obverse of redesigned quarter The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of commemorative coins by the United States Mint. ...

• Obverse:
  • as before:
    • "Liberty"
    • "In God We Trust"
  • instead of on the reverse:
    • "United States of America"
    • The words expressing assigned value of the coin, "Quarter Dollar"
• Reverse:
  • as before:
    • "E Pluribus Unum"
  • instead of on the obverse:
    • The four digits of the year of issue

In God We Trust on the twenty dollar bill In God We Trust is the national motto of the United States of America. ... E pluribus unum is includeds in the Great Seal of the United States E pluribus unum was one of the first national mottos of the United States of America. ...

Japanese coins

In Japan, from 1897 to the end of World War II, though not formally stated: 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

• the Chrysanthemum Crest appeared on all coins,
• its side was informally regarded as the obverse (a normal situation, since this crest represented the imperial family), and
• the year appeared on the other (reverse) side.

The Chrysanthemum no longer appeared after the war, so (at least equally informally), It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Imperial Seal of Japan. ...

• the year took over the role of defining the reverse, and
• the obverse has therefore been regarded as the side opposite the date.

See also

• Medallic orientation
• Coin orientation
• Coin collecting