Mountain View Coins
Coin Dictionary - W
Waffled Coins
The process where the mint destroys defective or worn coins by running them through a waffling machine. This canceling process gives the former coin a waffle like appearance. Coins cancelled in this manner are sold in bulk for scrap metal and often can not be distinguished as a US coin, except by their size.
Walker
Walker is the common short name for the "Walking Liberty Half dollar".
Walking Liberty Half
The Walking Liberty Half Dollar was produced from 1916 to 1947 with a design of Liberty walking. Many will argue that it is one of the most beautiful coins every produced. Its design was so popular, that the obverse was repeated on the current American Silver Eagle series.Click here for a History of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar
War Nickel
Nickels produced from 1942 to 1945 are often called "war nickels". These nickels of the Jefferson US five cent coins were made during part of World War II. Due to the thought that the metals used to make the nickel would be needed to produce war materials, a new alloy was used that consisted of 35% silver, 9% manganese, and 56% copper. Regular nickels were also produced in 1942. To distinguish the difference in these nickels, the mint produced them with a large mint mark on the reverse. War nickels produced in Philadelphia also contained the "P". Beginning in 1946, the regular alloy was put back into production. "War Nickels" sell for a premium over regular nickels of the era due to their silver content.
As of this writing they are worth more than five cents due to their silver content. These "silver war nickels", as some call them, will have a large mint mark above the memorial building on the reverse (back).
Whitman or Whitman Publishing company.
Produces many collector's books, albums, and collecting supplies.
Whiz, Whizzed, Whizzing
The process of buffing/polishing a coin to re-create the appearance of mint luster found on a mint coin. With whizzing, the the process is typically done with a fine brush attached to a high speed drill. Often coins that are whizzed will show metal build-up around lettering and/or dates. While whizzing is done on a high grade coin to try to sell the coin at a higher grade than it really is, the process actually takes away value because the coin is no longer genuine and the process actually takes away the finesse of the strike by taking away a small layer of the coins metal. See buffing.