Basic visual coin grading guide

Below is a visual coin grading guide. It’s not meant to be the last word on grading by any means, but rather a basic primer. The first gold coin it the Mint State 70 and the Morgan Silver Dollars chart is as explained as well as the rest of the photo graded coins. I haven’t included pictures of every grade, as it would probably be more confusing than helpful, but there should be enough information to get you well on your way to understanding this complicated process.

The grading standard is the one used by the ANA or the American Numismatic Association.

Mint State (Unc) - No trace of wear.

Mint state coins vary from MS-60 to MS-70. MS-70 is perfect. No blemishes, good strike, great color, as I said, perfect. If you have a coin you have that isn’t slabbed, it very likely isn’t MS-70. An average shiny new penny from the bank is MS-63. A near perfect one with no easily visible marks is MS-65. MS-70 is extremely rare.

Distinguishing the difference between un-circulated grades is can be tricky. Even the professional grading services aren’t 100% consistent within these grades.

Almost Uncirculated (AU) - Slight trace of wear visible on the highest points

AU coins come in AU-50, AU-55 and AU-58. Beginners usually won’t be able to tell the difference between AU and Unc coins. The most important thing in grading an AU coin is to know is where the high points are on a particular coin so that you can look for the minimal wear there.

Extremely Fine (XF or EF) - Light wear on only the highest points.

XF coins come in XF-40 and XF-45. On an XF coin, you can usually see the wear, but it is a very small amount of wear. Often there will be some of the mint luster left on the coin. Most of the details on the coin are clearly defined. For each type of coin, there are different things to look for in determining if a coin meets this demanding grade.

Very Fine (VF) - Light to medium wear. All major features are sharp.

(The coin immdeiately above is a VF coin)

VF coins come in VF-20, VF-25, VF-30 and occasionally VF-35. The key word here is major. Minor features such as some of the finer hair detail, feathers, etc. will be worn.

Fine (F) - Moderate to heavy even wear. Entire design clear and bold.

Your average 1965 quarter from circulation is Fine. A lot of the details are gone, but you can still see a good deal of the design.

Very Good (VG) - Well worn. Design clear, but flat and lacking detail.

The entire design is weak, but a few details are visible. Full rims are nearly always a requirement for this grade. A full rim means that you can see a line around the edge of the coin where it was raised up.

Good (G) - Heavily worn. Design and legend visible but faint in spots.

(coin below is a Good coin)

On some coins, full rims are not required for this grade. You must be able to read the date and mint mark.

Almost Good (AG) - Outlined design. Parts of date and legend worn smooth.

This is a used up coin. You should be able to make out the date (possibly with some effort). Often, only parts of the last two digits will be visible.

Fair (Fair) - You can identify the coin as to its type.

There may be holes, it might be bent, or it might just have a LOT of honest wear. You may or may not see the date depending on the type and the nature of the wear. Fair coins are also sometimes called “filler” coins. That is because you can buy them very cheaply to fill the holes in your collection. Otherwise, you might never be able to afford the coin. Many people collect fair condition coins, especially the rarer dates and types. Dateless buffalo nickels, for example, are still worth about a dime. Some of the earlier type coins may be worth $50 or more in fair condition.

Basal State (Basal) - You can identify the lump of metal as being a coin.