Coin Grading Terminology And Acronyms

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Coin Grading Terminology And Acronyms

#1 Unread post by Daniel »

COIN GRADING TERMS

While looking at coin price guides you will see some of these symbols for grading like FR, PR, AG, G, VG, VF, XF AU and MS. All of these acronyms stand for certain words or phrases that describe the condition of coins. They encompass a universal system that is used by price guides, dealers and experts to identify and figure the values of coins based on their grade.

Not everyone will agree on the grade of a particular coin and one must watch out for unscrupulous sellers that over-grade or leave out other problems a coin may have like scratches, corrosion, cleaning, etc. (I will discuss problems a coin may have later.)

The best way to start grading is to examine your coin to see if has a full date. If it doesn’t then it may grade FR or PR, but if the date is full then it may grade G-4. Then look at the over- all design of the coin (You may want to look at a few examples on an Internet coin site or grading book for help.) and begin adding points and grades with how many more features you can identify with the coin in question. The more features the coin has evident, the higher the grade.

Below is a guide to the many grading words and phrases including their acronym symbols and number grades. Most, universally, use the symbols in the right hand column.

Coin Grading Acronyms:
Basal (Basal State) A flat piece of metal with no features whatsoever.
Poor 1 = PR1
Fair 2 = FR2
About Good 3 = AG3
Good 4 = G4
Very Good 8-11 = VG8
Fine 12-19 = F12
Very Fine 20-29 = VF20
Very Fine 30-39 = VF30
Extra Fine 40-49 = XF40 or EF40
Almost Uncirculated 50-59 = AU50-AU58
Mint State 60-70 = MS60-MS70

So as not to confuse the reader PR can also mean Proof, but will be followed by a number 60 or higher, but can be designated PF58 or lower if circulated. One example is the 1895 Morgan Dollar, and it can have a grade of PR60 which means Proof 60. Also, PF can be used to designate a proof coin.

It is obvious that grading is very subjective and is different when it comes to each coin type. Grading comes with experience, and I mean years of experience. It is always best to consult professional grading publications and trusted dealers for reference, or submit your coin to a third party grading company like PCGS, NGC, ICG, ANACS.

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Re: Coin Grading Terminology And Acronyms

#2 Unread post by JTCC »

So here it is, the first ever post, twelve years earlier, me only being two years old. Congratulations Daniel, your community has grown from a couple collectors to now one of the largest and most known coin help communities online, and helped countless people in the process. I wonder if any initial registed users are still around and active. Glad to be a member of this community.

P.S. don’t murder me over resurrecting this post pls.
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Re: Coin Grading Terminology And Acronyms

#3 Unread post by monsterbug1 »

please correct me if I am wrong, but can't proof grades be significantly lower than PR60, especially if the proof coin circulated(1894 S barber dime)

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Re: Coin Grading Terminology And Acronyms

#4 Unread post by Daniel »

Yes, there's some low grade, circulated proofs graded. It's not common but I've seen a few in the auctions and in hand.

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Re: Coin Grading Terminology And Acronyms

#5 Unread post by Earle42 »

P.S. don’t murder me over resurrecting this post pls.
No problem!

Just turn over your coin collection to me and all will be well!😂
Common grading company shortcomings & resulting co$tly mi$take$ to collectors (using Kennedy No FG halves):
https://tinyurl.com/y7rksxu8

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Re: Coin Grading Terminology And Acronyms

#6 Unread post by Daniel »


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