An experimental investigation was conducted to find the associated changes in characteristics of wear before and after the transition between fretting and reciprocating sliding wear. A set of experiments were carried out using a AISI 52100 steel ball rubbing against a plate specimen made from the same steel under dry condition. Wear coefficient, wear volume, coefficient of friction, profile of the scars and wear debris were analyzed. The results displayed that there were significant differences in wear coefficient, wear volume, profile of the wear scars and wear debris before and after the transition. Wear coefficient and wear volume at a constant sliding distance were found to be the most appropriate for identifying the transition amplitude between fretting and reciprocating sliding wear.