The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse means the back face. The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads, because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse tails.
In fields of scholarship outside numismatics, the term front is more commonly used than obverse, while usage of reverse is widespread.[citation needed]
^ abDavid Sear. Greek Imperial Coins and Their Values. Spink Books, 1982. ISBN9781912667352 p. xxxv.
^Jonathan Edwards. Catalogue of the Greek and Roman Coins in the Numismatic Collection of Yale College, Volume 2. Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1880. p. 228.
^Allen G. Berman. Warman's Coins And Paper Money: Identification and Price Guide. Penguin, 2008. ISBN9781440219153