What are the two sides of a coin or medal called?

Answer 1

Good morning!

The terms obverse and reverse, its opposite, describe currency, and most often specifically to coins. The terms may respectively be interchanged with the terms front and back sides or "heads" and "tails," although with loss of precision. The terms can also describe the front and back of a flag.

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, states have been monarchies where the person of the monarch and the state were for most purposes equivalent, and for most people inseparable to the point of indistiguishability. In an absolute monarchy, it is fairly unthinkable for the currency not to bear an image accepted as that of the monarch; whatever the form of government, the more effectively the state is evoked by the currency, the more effective that currency is in efficiently promoting unhesitating (or better yet unthinking) confidence in its value.

For this reason, the principal side of a piece of currency is the one that evokes that reaction by invoking the strength of the state, and that side almost always depicts the monarch, or any well-known representative of the state, or a symbol of the state. That principal side, whose function is to evoke the state, and thereby tacitly say "you can trust this currency to do what it says it will", is the obverse.

Coins and banknotes ("bills", in American and Canadian usage) have two sides, and the secondary side (the reverse) is seldom wasted; various 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.

Answer 2

Without going into a mass dialog. The front of the coin is called the obverse and the back the reverse. This is on coins,medals and tokens. Currency (Paper Money) however has a front and a back. To throw something else in, coins can be minted in coin alignment or medal alignment. Turn a coin from top to bottom, the reverse will be the right way, that is coin alignment. Turn a medal from left to right and it's reverse will be the right way. If you turn most coins from left to right, the reverse will be upside down.

Answer 3

Oooh oooh! Heads and Tails?!

Answer 4

Heads and tails

Answer 5

obverse
reverse