Grades range from poor, almost completely worn out, to perfect mint state, a coin with absolutely no wear and no flaws of any kind. With experience and much practice, many people can learn to grade with moderate degrees of accuracy, but few are able to grade a coin with the precision required to become a professional.
How much does it cost to have a coin graded?
The more valuable the coin is, the more it costs to have it graded. Grading a common coin worth $150 costs $20. Grading a rare coin worth $50,000 costs $125. It is a much better value to get expensive coins graded than it is to get common coins graded.
What is the best way to get a coin graded?
Use a service like the PCGS or NGC. The Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) are third-party certification and grading services. Both of these services consistently grade, authenticate, certify, and seal (in a protective display) coins for a small fee.
Are there different grades for different coin types?
Below are NGC’s grading standards for each numeric grade as well as major strike types and designations. Certain coins have surface problems that preclude numeric grading by NGC. These coins may be eligible for NGC Details grading. Learn more >
How are coins graded on the PCGS scale?
To confirm your submission has arrived at PCGS safely, please visit In 1948, Dr. William Sheldon, a renowned numismatist, developed the Sheldon Scale, assigning grades from “1” through “70” to coins. The basis of Sheldon’s theory was that a “70” would be worth 70 times as much as a “1.”
What kind of grades does NGC give coins?
Adjectival Grades: NGC will occasionally grade bulk submissions of common coins with adjectival grades instead of numeric grades. To learn more about adjectival grades, click here. NGC assigns a to coins at the high end of their assigned grade, approaching the quality requirements for the next grade.
Which is the best company for coin grading?
Coin grading and authentication emerged as a solution to rampant counterfeiting and coin doctoring in the collectible coin industry. With our team of renowned experts in vintage and modern U.S. and World coins, PCGS has built the most trusted brand in coin grading and authentication.
