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Obverse and reverse
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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 flags (see Flag terminology), 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.
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.
Western monarchy, it has been customary, 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.
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Encyclopedia
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 flags (see Flag terminology), 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.
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.
Which is which?
In a Western monarchy, it has been customary, 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.
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 allegiance of the Egyptians, who had regarded their previous monarchs, the Pharaohs as divine. The various Hellenisic rulers who were his successors kept their busts on the obverse.
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.
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.
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.
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, whether the monarch or otherwise.
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 typically used to reflect the country's culture or government, 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.
Specific currencies
Coins of the European Union
Regarding the euro, some confusion regarding the obverse and reverse of the euro coins exists. Officially, as agreed by the the informal Economic and Finance Ministers Council of Verona in April 1996, the distinctive national side is the obverse and the common European side is the reverse.
A number of the designs used for obverse national sides of euro coins were used on the reverse of the old pre-euro coins of the individual countries.
Coins of Japan
In Japan, from 1897 to the end of World War II, though not formally stated:
- 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),
- the year took over the role of defining the reverse, and
- the obverse has therefore been regarded as the side opposite the date.
Coins of the United Kingdom
Following ancient tradition, the obverse of coins of the United Kingdom (and predecessor kingdoms going back to the middle ages) almost always feature the head of the monarch.
By tradition, each British monarch faces in the opposite direction to his or her predecessor. Hence George VI faced left, and the present Queen faces right. The only break in this tradition came in 1936 when Edward VIII, believing his left side to be superior to his right, insisted on facing left, like his father had done. No official legislation prevented his wishes being granted, so left-facing obverses were prepared for minting. Very few examples were actually struck before he abdicated later that year, and none bearing this portrait were ever officially issued. When George VI acceded to the throne, he also faced left, so as to imply that had any coins been minted with Edward's portrait, the obverses would have depicted him facing right.
Coins of the United States
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.)
The United States government long adhered to including all of the following:
- Obverse:
- 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:
- Obverse:
- as before:
- instead of on the reverse:
- "United States of America"
- The words expressing assigned value of the coin, "Quarter Dollar"
- Reverse:
- as before:
- instead of on the obverse:
- The four digits of the year of issue
See also
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