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Message:: [QUOTE="Publius2, post: 4949176, member: 105571"]You are correct that the terms are not well-defined or universally accepted and that is because the geopolitical conditions of the period were unsettled. From my reading, it seems like collectors refer to the coins of the period between independence and 1792/3 as "Pre-Federal" although many collectors use the term "colonial" for this time period as well as the period before independence.  You can choose for yourself whether you think Federal coinage began with the half-dismes of 1792 or with actual operation of the first mint in 1793.  The period before independence seems to be universally referred to as "Colonial".  Where I see some disagreement regards the date of "independence".  Some say it is 1775 when our revolutionary war hostilities began.  Some say it dates from 1776 with the Declaration of Independence.  Some say it is 1781 with the de facto cessation of hostilities.  And, finally, some say it is 1783 with the adoption of the Treaty of Paris. As you can see, there is no bright-line definition accepted by all and frankly it doesn't matter much to most people.  Although there have been some vigorous essays in the last year or so about the status of the half-dismes. I would call the OP's 1788 coin "Pre-Federal".  Numismatically, I have only seen the term "confederate" applied to the Civil War era and the coins and paper money of the Confederate States of America.[/QUOTE]