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Strike
How completely the design transferred from the dies to the coin. A sharp, full strike shows every detail; a weak strike leaves high points soft even on an otherwise pristine coin.
Coin Grading
Learn how the Sheldon 1 to 70 scale works, what PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and CAC actually do, and how to tell whether your coin is worth paying to grade. Then get a free appraisal that answers that question for you.
Coin grading is the process of assigning a coin a standardized condition rating that describes how well it has been preserved. Because condition is the single biggest driver of a collectible coin\'s value, the grade is often what separates a common coin from a valuable one. Two coins of the same date and mint mark can be worth wildly different amounts based on grade alone.
It helps to keep three ideas separate. Grading answers how well preserved a coin is. Authentication answers whether it is genuine. Appraisal answers what it is worth in today\'s market. A professional grade feeds directly into value, but the appraisal is where grade, rarity, and demand come together into a number, and that is what we do for free.
Grading also splits coins into two broad worlds. Circulated coins show wear from use, while uncirculated or Mint State coins never entered circulation and retain full original surfaces. Proof coins are specially struck for collectors and graded on their own PR or PF scale.
Modern grading uses the Sheldon scale, a 1 to 70 numeric range paired with traditional adjectival grades. The higher the number, the better the coin. It breaks down like this:
A coin that has been cleaned, damaged, or altered is graded as a details or problem coin. It still gets described, but it trades at a steep discount to a problem-free example at the same wear level.
Whether you grade a coin yourself or send it to a service, the same six qualities decide where it lands on the Sheldon scale.
How completely the design transferred from the dies to the coin. A sharp, full strike shows every detail; a weak strike leaves high points soft even on an otherwise pristine coin.
The way light rolls across original mint surfaces. Full, undisturbed luster is the hallmark of an uncirculated coin and a major driver of the Mint State grade.
The number and severity of contact marks, hairlines, and abrasions. Fewer marks in prime focal areas push a coin up the scale.
The overall look of the coin, including toning and how attractive it is at a glance. Strong eye appeal can lift a coin within its grade and its price.
The loss of detail from circulation, which separates circulated grades from Mint State. The pattern and depth of wear place a coin along the Sheldon scale.
Whether the coin is problem-free or has been cleaned, altered, or damaged. Cleaning is the cardinal sin of numismatics and drops a coin into a "details" grade.
Third-party grading (TPG) is when an independent service grades and authenticates your coin, then seals it in a tamper-evident holder called a slab. The slab carries a label with the coin\'s date, denomination, grade, and a unique certification number you can verify online.
The value of TPG is trust. A certified coin removes the buyer\'s guesswork about grade and authenticity, so it usually sells for more and trades more transparently than a raw coin. Grading services can also apply designations, and CAC\'s green sticker signals a coin is solid or premium for its assigned grade.
The trade-off is cost and time. You pay a per-coin fee, cover shipping and insurance, and wait for the coin to return. That is why grading pays off on coins with real numismatic premium and rarely on common material.
A few names dominate certification. Here is who they are and the standard they all grade against.
Professional Coin Grading Service, founded 1986. An industry leader with a widely followed price guide and population report.
Numismatic Guaranty Company, founded 1987. The other major service, on par with PCGS for market acceptance.
Founded 1972, the oldest US grading service. Known for honest grading and its willingness to grade problem coins.
The green sticker verifying a coin is solid for its grade, plus CAC's own grading arm, CACG.
The shared 1 to 70 numeric standard every service grades against, from Poor (PO-1) to perfect MS-70 or PR-70.
The American Numismatic Association publishes the official grading standards the hobby is built on.
Grade drives the numismatic premium. Price guides such as the PCGS Price Guide and NGC Price Guide list values grade by grade, and the jump from one grade to the next can be dramatic on a key-date coin. That is the upside of grading a coin that deserves it.
But grading is not free, and not every coin benefits. A coin is generally worth grading when:
The hard part is knowing which coins clear that bar before you spend the money. That is where an appraisal comes first. Our gold coin appraisal and rare coin appraisal pages go deeper on the categories most likely to be worth grading.
We are an online appraisal service, not a grading company, and that is exactly why our read is useful. We estimate your coin\'s grade and its market value first, then tell you honestly whether professional grading fees and shipping will return more than they cost. If your coin will not benefit, we say so, so you do not overpay to slab a coin that gains nothing.
Getting appraised without getting ripped off comes down to three habits: know your coin\'s likely grade and value before you talk to a buyer, get more than one offer, and use an independent expert who is not trying to buy your coin. A free appraisal gives you that neutral number. If you have a whole group of coins, start with our coin collection appraisal instead of grading them one by one.
Request Your Appraisal
Fill in a few details and add photos if you have them. An expert reviews your submission and sends back an honest valuation, usually within 48 hours.
The major third-party services (PCGS, NGC, ANACS, CAC) all charge a per-coin fee to grade and slab a coin, so free professional grading is not realistic. What you can get for free is an expert appraisal. We estimate your coin's grade and value and tell you honestly whether paying to grade it will pay off.
A coin is usually worth grading when its certified value would clearly exceed the grading fee plus shipping, which points to key dates, high-grade uncirculated coins, rarities, and pieces where authenticity is in question. Common circulated coins and low-premium modern bullion rarely benefit. An appraisal first tells you which bucket yours is in.
It depends on the coin. Grading adds a trusted, tamper-evident grade that helps a valuable coin sell for more and trade more transparently. But the fee only makes sense when the coin carries enough numismatic premium to justify it. That is exactly the call a free appraisal helps you make before you spend a dime.
Study the ANA grading standards, use a good light and a 5x to 10x loupe, and compare your coin to graded examples. Look at strike, luster, surface marks, eye appeal, and wear. Self-grading is a useful skill, but for high-value coins a third-party grade is what the market pays for.
Know your coin's likely grade and value before you talk to a buyer, get more than one offer, and use an independent appraiser who is not trying to buy it. A free expert appraisal gives you the neutral figure you need to measure every offer against.
Grading fees commonly run from around $17 to $50 or more per coin at the major services, with higher tiers for high-value coins and faster turnaround. Shipping and insurance add to that, which is why it only makes sense on coins with real numismatic value.
No pressure, ever
Get a free, expert appraisal today and we will tell you whether paying to grade your coin will actually pay off.