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What do these mean ?!!
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 8:15 pm
by spooning
Im new to the whole coin collecting thing, and i was just wondering what does "G-4 VG-8 F-12 VF-20 EF-40 AU-50 MS-60 MS-63 MS-64 MS-65"
Mean ?!?!
Im so confused with it ahaha.
Re: What do these mean ?!!
Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 6:46 am
by Bill in Burl
They represent the grade or condition of the coin. Coins used to just have a verbal grade .. poor, fair, good, very good, fine, very fine, extremely fine, almost uncirculated and uncirculated. Sometimes they would add 'brilliant uncirculated". 20 or more years ago, the grading companies decided to adopt the Shelton Scale, which was previously used only for US Large Cents, and apply it to all US coinage (since adapted to most No. American coinage as well now). In the Shelton scale, a very good (VG8) was worth twice as much as a good (G4) coin. An extremely fine (XF-40) coin was worth twice as much as a very fine (VF-20) coin. The value ratios (8/4, 40/20, etc) no longer apply and they just refer to the condition or grade of the coin. The grading scale goes from Poor (1) to MS-70 (Mint State 70). An MS-70 coin supposedly is absolutely perfect with no flaw whatsoever and can not be topped. Some dealers, however, use the MS-70 grade very liberally. Most collectors refuse to believe that there is such a thing as a perfect coin that has no equal and stop their grades at MS-69. Most numismatic circles believe that the hobby will go to a 100 point grading system, rather than Shelton's 70 point system, some time in the future.