The obverse is the most relevant side of a coin.
Obverse is a term in our language derived from the French envers , in turn coming from the Latin word inversus. This concept is used especially with reference to medals, tokens and coins to name the most relevant face or side due to the drawing they have .
The obverse is usually the face that displays the face of a personality, a historical monument, the representation of a transcendental event or some allegory . The opposite side is known as the reverse .
Numismatics
In this context, it is necessary to define the concept of numismatics , since it is the study and practice of collecting paper money and official coins in a country at a certain time. If the focus is solely on paper money, the more appropriate term is Notafilia .
The origins of numismatics date back to the Roman Empire ; However, until now the exact point in history at which it became a social phenomenon is unknown, where collecting is generally talked about. As a science, it can be said that it began during the 19th century and that its importance is incalculable, since its findings serve to reconstruct an essential part of the history of people, both aspects of their economy and their politics, their religion and its geography.
The banknotes also have an obverse.
Obverse features
As we already indicated, it is possible to say that the obverse is the most important side , while the reverse is the least important side. By extension to this idea, the duality between obverse and reverse appears in other areas beyond numismatics: papers, paintings and flags, for example, can also have an obverse and a reverse.
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), in fact, recognizes the meaning of the concept of obverse in the field of printing to refer to the face where the first page corresponding to a sheet of paper is printed and the mold with which said page is printed. impression.
The coinage
Here the discipline known as coinage comes into play, which refers to the action of certifying, printing, stamping or coining a piece of metal with the use of a die or die. This is especially practiced on medals and coins .
The minted object acquires a specific value , exchange or intrinsic, and thus when we have a legal tender coin in our hands we can know what it allows us to buy thanks to the data printed on its front and back, even if we ignore the value of the material and the processes used for its manufacture, since they have no relevance in a commercial exchange.
It should be noted that the obverse of banknotes and coins is usually used to pay different tributes . The authorities of a country, responsible for minting legal tender, may make the decision to include representative images or portraits of certain characters or events of great national importance. In Argentina , to cite one case, the government created a series of one hundred peso bills that, on the obverse, feature a woman with a scarf covering her head, the symbol of the Mothers and Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo .
Obverse in cultured language
In cultured language, the term obverse can acquire a different meaning, far removed from material objects: it serves to describe the most important part of an event, a time or a process, among other spaces of time.
For example, when talking about a scientific discovery , we can say that it has as its reverse a certain risk of environmental contamination, but that its obverse lies in the opening of new doors to knowledge and a technological growth unprecedented until now.