A coin’s legend is the writing stamped on it—usually around the edge, sometimes across the middle. It’s there to say who issued the coin and what they claimed: name and title of the ruler, the realm, sometimes the mint or a short motto.

Legends are often abbreviated and frequently in Latin. That’s why they look unusual: letters can swap (older coins use V for U, I for J), and words are split with dots or little pellets. Even a fragment is useful—two or three readable words can narrow a coin to a ruler and a rough date range.

Typical clues you’ll see:

• a name (e.g., ELIZABETH, EDWARD, GEORGIVS, CNVT),

• a title (REX/REGINA = king/queen; D G = “by the grace of God”),

• a place or claim (ANGL = England; HIB = Ireland; CIVITAS LONDON = city of London on hammered issues),

• a motto (e.g., CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO — “Under the auspices of Christ I reign”).

This tool helps you decode those strings. Paste what you can read, as seen on the coin. It will:

• expand common abbreviations into clear English,

• recognise older spellings,

• suggest matches from partial words,

• and offer a short context hint (likely ruler or period).

Treat the result as a quick guide, not a final verdict—confirm with the coin’s portrait, design, size and weight. Then get back to doing what you came for: finding history in the mud and making sense of it.