Coins and tokens

EN source master · P01-L02 · 30 minutes estimated · needs_review

Read-only study. No wallet connection, real money, seed phrase, private key, signature or live trade. Duration is an editorial estimate; visual assets are specifications, not deployed components.

Two assets can share a name and symbol while having unrelated issuers or code. A ticker is a display convenience, not a unique research key.

Start with the network's accounting

A native coin is part of a network's own accounting and fee mechanism. An issued token is represented through additional token logic and state. Ether (ETH), Ethereum's native asset, pays Ethereum execution fees [GAS]; an ERC-20 balance is described by a contract interface (ERC-20 is the Ethereum token-interface standard used here) [ERC20]. This distinction describes roles, not quality. A native coin is not automatically safer, and a token is not automatically suspect.

Identify the exact object

For an Ethereum token, retain the chain and full contract identifier. For a Solana token, retain cluster/network, mint and relevant token program. A Solana token account refers to a particular mint [SOLTOKEN]. Do not confuse a holder's token account with the mint itself.

Name, symbol and logo may be duplicated. Matching these three fields does not close the identity question. Compare the exact identifier against a suitably attributed issuer or protocol source, record that source and say what remains unverified. A claimed issuer page also needs origin checks; a screenshot of such a page is not an independent signature of authenticity.

Preserve units

Raw balances are integer units. When the supplied decimals are d, displayed units equal raw divided by 10^d. ERC-20 decimals is optional metadata [ERC20]; absence is not permission to assume 18. An exercise may stipulate decimals so arithmetic is reproducible, while a real investigation needs a source for the value.

Separate identity from unit conversion. Converting the wrong contract correctly still describes the wrong asset. Equal displayed balances under different identifiers do not become interchangeable. A representation on another network requires its own dependency analysis.

Record a classification with limits

A useful asset row includes network, role, exact identifier or native designation, symbol, decimals basis and source context. Avoid forcing a contract address onto every native coin. Where a network-specific representation exists, record it as that representation rather than silently equating it with the native balance.

Evidence-state classification

OBSERVED in the illustrative cards: network identifiers, asset labels, raw balances and supplied decimals. INFERRED: B displays 2.5 and C displays 0.025 under their own scales. UNKNOWN: absent decimals or human controllers. INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE: shared symbol or equal raw quantity establishes identical asset identity or safety.

• Native coin: asset integral to network accounting.
• Token: issued asset represented by token state/logic.
• Mint: the Solana token-defining account, whose address identifies the token.
• Decimals: display scale for raw integer units.

ILLUSTRATIVE. A: SIM-EVM, native SIM-ETH. B: SIM-EVM, TOKEN-RED, symbol USDX, decimals 6, raw balance 2500000. C: SIM-EVM, TOKEN-BLUE, symbol USDX, decimals 8, raw balance 2500000. D: SIM-SOL, MINT-RED, symbol USDX. Labels are intentionally invalid as real addresses.

Mint comparison table: A native; B/C separate contracts; D mint. Show raw and normalized B/C amounts without merging rows. Alt: identical USDX symbols identify three different fictional assets.

Classification and arithmetic within the supplied fictional records.

Issuer authenticity, redemption equivalence, token safety or a live balance.

• Using symbol as primary key.
• Applying a default decimals value.
• Confusing mint and holder token account.

Classify A–D, compute B/C displayed amounts and test whether B/C/D are one asset. List what issuer evidence would be needed.

Submit a short evidence table and reasoning, using only the provided material. Suggested allocation: study 12 min, inspection/calculation 8 min, correction/quiz 10 min.

• Record network.
• Record native role or exact contract/mint.
• Source decimals.
• Keep similarly named assets separate.

Two assets can share a name and symbol while having unrelated issuers or code. A ticker is a display convenience, not a unique research key. The supplied material supports classification and arithmetic within the supplied fictional records. It does not establish issuer authenticity, redemption equivalence, token safety or a live balance.

• Identify native assets and issued representations.
• Use network plus exact identifier rather than a ticker.
• Convert a supplied raw amount without guessing decimals.

P01-L03 after reviewing this exercise and its prerequisites.

NONE. The authoritative catalog requires no product access for this lesson. Use the frozen/offline material.

• [ERC20] ERC-20 token standard — Token balances, optional decimals, transfer, approval and allowance interfaces. Checked 2026-10-01.
• [SOLTOKEN] Solana token accounts — Mint reference and token-owner authority are distinct from program owner. Checked 2026-10-01.
• [GAS] Ethereum gas and fees — Gas used times effective price and included failure costs. Checked 2026-10-01.

Synthetic values are author-created exercise inputs. Historical values, if any, must use the linked dataset and its narrower provenance. Source inspection is not independent editorial acceptance.