Overstrike (numismatics)

Overstrike is like taking a pencil and writing something on a piece of paper. But then, instead of keeping it that way, you decide to erase what you wrote and write something else on top of it. So, the old writing is still there, but it's covered up by the new writing. That's kind of what happens in numismatics (which is a fancy word for studying old coins).

In numismatics, an overstrike is when someone takes an old coin and puts a new design on top of it. They might do this because they want to change the coin's value or make it look better. But, even though they've put a new design on top, the old design is still there, underneath.

It's like if you drew a picture of a dog and then decided that you wanted to make it look even better. So, you drew another picture of a dog on top of it. Now, there are two pictures of dogs, but the first one is hiding behind the second one. That's kind of what an overstrike is in numismatics.