Reference · Grading

Coin grading, made simple.

Every grade on the Sheldon scale, every UK descriptive level, the complete crossover, and the five-step technique professionals actually use. Written for British collectors who want one authoritative reference.

· Written by Connor Jones, Founder & Editor at MyCoinage
1–70 Sheldon scale
9 UK grades
4,655+ coins tracked
Quick answer Coin grading assesses a coin's condition on a standard scale so its value can be compared fairly. The US uses the Sheldon 1-to-70 numerical scale (70 is perfect). The UK uses a descriptive scale from Poor (P) to Brilliant Uncirculated (BU), with FDC the highest for proofs. Grade assessment examines the five highest-wear zones (portrait, fields, rim, legend, and date) under single-point lighting at 5× to 10× magnification. Never clean a coin: cleaning permanently removes value.

The UK ↔ US crossover

British collectors use descriptive grades; American collectors use the Sheldon numerical scale. These map to each other as follows: the authoritative crossover every dealer and auction house works from.

UK grade
US Sheldon equivalent
BUBrilliant Uncirculated ≈ Gem MS and above
⟷
MS-65 to MS-70
UNCUncirculated with contact marks
⟷
MS-60 to MS-64
aUNCAbout Uncirculated: trace friction on high points
⟷
AU-55 to AU-58
GEFGood Extremely Fine, bordering AU
⟷
AU-50 to AU-55
EFExtremely Fine: light high-point wear
⟷
EF-40 to EF-45
GVFGood Very Fine
⟷
VF-30 to VF-35
VFVery Fine: moderate high-point wear
⟷
VF-20 to VF-25
NVFNearly Very Fine
⟷
F-15
FFine: moderate wear, legends complete
⟷
F-12
VGVery Good: well worn, main features clear
⟷
VG-8 to VG-10
GGood: heavy wear
⟷
G-4 to G-6
FRFair
⟷
FR-2 to AG-3
PPoor: barely identifiable
⟷
P-1

The full reference

Every grade on both scales with the description professional graders use. British conventions on the left, American on the right.

🇬🇧 UK descriptive scale

Standard of the British Numismatic Trade Association (BNTA).

BUBrilliant Uncirculated
Freshly minted. Full original lustre, no contact marks. As struck. Wear: None
UNCUncirculated
Never circulated but may carry minor bag marks from minting and handling. Lustre present. Wear: None
EFExtremely Fine
Very light wear on the highest points only. Nearly all detail sharp. Lustre may be partly present. Wear: Trace
VFVery Fine
Light wear on high points. All major detail still sharp with no flat areas. Wear: Light
FFine
Moderate even wear throughout. Legends and dates clear. Design outline complete. Wear: Moderate
VGVery Good
Well worn but main features clear. Legends readable, may be weak in places. Wear: Considerable
GGood
Heavily worn. Design and legend visible but faint in spots. Wear: Heavy
FRFair
Extremely worn. Coin barely identifiable. Major features present. Wear: Very heavy
PPoor
Barely identifiable. Date may be missing. Type-collection fill only. Wear: Extreme

🇺🇸 US Sheldon scale

Devised by Dr William Sheldon, 1949. Adopted by PCGS and NGC.

MS-70MS
Perfect Mint State. No marks under 5× magnification. Bullion-grade strike.
MS-67MS
Superb gem uncirculated. Merest weakness or blemish.
MS-65MS
Gem uncirculated. Strong lustre, above-average strike. Minor blemishes only.
MS-63MS
Choice uncirculated. A few distracting contact marks in focal areas.
MS-60MS
Uncirculated with no wear, but many contact marks; lustre may be dulled.
AU-58AU
Choice About Uncirculated. Slight rub on high points. Most lustre intact.
AU-55AU
About Uncirculated. Evidence of friction on high points. Half lustre.
AU-50AU
About Uncirculated. Trace of wear on several high points. Half lustre.
EF-45EF
Choice Extremely Fine. Light wear on high points. All design detail sharp.
EF-40EF
Extremely Fine. Light wear throughout but all features sharp.
VF-35VF
Choice Very Fine. Light to moderate even wear. Lettering sharp.
VF-30VF
Choice Very Fine. Moderate wear on high points. Major features sharp.
VF-25VF
Very Fine. Moderate wear on high points. Legends clear.
VF-20VF
Very Fine. Moderate wear throughout; main features sharp.
F-15F
Choice Fine. Moderate to heavy even wear. All design elements visible.
F-12F
Fine. Even moderate to heavy wear. Legends complete though may be weak.
VG-10VG
Choice Very Good. Well worn. Main features clear but flat.
VG-8VG
Very Good. Well worn. Main features clear but faint in places.
G-6G
Choice Good. Heavily worn. Design visible but faint in spots.
G-4G
Good. Heavily worn. Design and legend visible but faint.
AG-3AG
About Good. Very heavily worn. Legend readable, date visible.
FR-2FR
Fair. Extremely worn. Coin barely identifiable.
P-1P
Poor. Barely identifiable as a coin of the type.

How to grade a coin

Five steps, no special equipment beyond a lamp and a loupe. This is the exact technique PCGS and NGC graders use, scaled down for a kitchen table.

Prepare the lighting

Place the coin under a single direct incandescent light source; a desk lamp is ideal. Avoid overhead fluorescent strips or diffuse daylight; both flatten lustre and hide high-point wear. The room itself should be dim.

Handle by the edge only

Hold the coin between thumb and forefinger at the rim. Skin oils etch silver and copper surfaces over time; a fingerprint invisible today becomes a permanent discolouration in six months. Cotton gloves or a soft velvet pad are the professional standard.

Rotate and inspect the five zones

Tilt the coin 10 to 20 degrees and rotate it slowly under the light. Check in order: the highest portrait point (cheek, hairline, or crown), the open fields, the rim and edge, the legend letters, and the date digits. Each zone reveals a different kind of wear.

Match to the reference scale

Compare what you observe to the grade descriptions above. Err conservative: professional graders are typically half a grade stricter than owners. If the coin looks "just UNC to me", it is more likely aUNC to a professional eye.

Confirm with a loupe

Finish with 5× to 10× magnification on the high-point areas. Any hairlines, wipe patterns, or cleaning evidence drops a coin to a "Details" designation regardless of its apparent grade, and "Details" coins sell at roughly 20% to 50% of equivalent problem-free examples.

The five inspection zones

Wear is predictable: it appears in these five places on any coin, regardless of design or country. Inspecting them in order is the fastest route to a confident grade.

01

Portrait

Cheek, hairline, crown, whichever is highest. First to wear, always.

02

Fields

The open flat areas around the design. Check for hairline scratches and contact marks.

03

Rim

Rim bumps, dings and the milled edge. Damage here often drops a grade.

04

Legend

Crispness of the lettering. Full sharp letters suggest EF or above.

05

Date

Date digits tell the same story as the legend: weak digits mean well-circulated.

Common grading mistakes

Four errors that cost new collectors money. Avoid them and your collection's value holds.

Overgrading your own coins

Owners consistently grade their coins half a point to a full grade higher than the market will bear. When selling, price to the lower of your estimate and what you see on eBay sold listings at the same grade.

Cleaning to "freshen up" a coin

Dip, polish, abrasive rubs, even a soft toothbrush: all permanent and all visible to any grader under magnification. A cleaned EF coin sells for what an F coin sells for.

Ignoring "Details" grades

A PCGS "AU Details, Scratched" is a damaged coin, not a bargain AU. Genuine AU coins command genuine AU prices; Details coins sell for 20% to 50% of that.

Trusting raw (un-slabbed) high-grade coins

At MS-65 and above, certification premium dwarfs the grading fee. A raw coin sold as "MS-65 uncertified" is almost always either overgraded or has a problem the seller won't mention.

Third-party grading services

For valuable coins, independent grading settles any ambiguity and preserves resale value. The three that matter:

PCGS

Professional Coin Grading Service · Founded 1986

The US market leader. Coins graded PCGS consistently command the highest premium: a PCGS MS-65 typically sells above an NGC MS-65 of the same coin.

NGC

Numismatic Guaranty Company · Founded 1987

PCGS's chief rival. Preferred by collectors of world and ancient coins; the NGC World Coin Census is the definitive rarity reference for British and European material.

LCGS

London Coin Grading Service · Founded 2010

The UK authority. Uses a 100-point scale that maps to Sheldon-70 via a published crossover. Preferred for modern British commemoratives and proofs minted by The Royal Mint.

Further reading: PCGS Grading Standards · NGC Grading Scale · Royal Mint definitive coin range · Dr William Sheldon (British Museum).

Proof grading in brief

Proof coins are struck twice or more on polished blanks with polished dies and never intended for circulation. They use the Sheldon scale with a PR or PF prefix; PR-70 is a flawless proof. British proofs historically use FDC (Fleur de Coin) for the same concept.

Proof grading adds a cameo designation: CAM (light frost-to-mirror contrast), DCAM or Ultra Cameo (strong black-and-white contrast). A proof with deep cameo designation commands a 30% to 150% premium over a non-cameo example at the same technical grade.

Questions people ask

The twelve most-Googled coin-grading questions, answered definitively.

What does BU mean on a British coin?

BU stands for Brilliant Uncirculated: a freshly-minted coin with full original lustre and no circulation wear. It is the highest everyday grade on the UK descriptive scale, equivalent to MS-65 to MS-70 on the US Sheldon scale.

What is the Sheldon scale?

The Sheldon scale is a 1-to-70 numerical coin-grading system devised by Dr William Sheldon in 1949. Grade 1 is Poor (barely identifiable); grade 70 is a perfect, flawless coin. PCGS and NGC, the two major third-party grading services, use it for every coin they certify.

How do I grade a coin at home?

Hold the coin at an angle under a single direct light source, such as a desk lamp (not a fluorescent strip). Rotate it slowly and compare the highest-relief points to the standard descriptions. Use a 5× to 10× jeweller's loupe for fine detail. Never touch the face of the coin; hold by the edges only.

What's the difference between EF and VF?

Extremely Fine (EF) shows only trace to very light wear on the highest points, with nearly all detail sharp. Very Fine (VF) shows light wear on those high points but all major design elements remain crisp, with no flat spots. EF is roughly Sheldon 40 to 45; VF is 20 to 35.

Should I clean my coins?

No. Cleaning permanently destroys the coin's original surfaces and removes value. Even gentle dish-soap wash strips the patina that collectors prize, and abrasive cleaning etches microscopic scratches that graders can see under magnification. A cleaned coin is usually worth 50 to 80% less than an untouched example in the same condition.

What is FDC?

FDC stands for Fleur de Coin, French for "flower of the die". It is the highest British grade, reserved for proofs or presentation pieces showing no flaws and full original detail. FDC is equivalent to MS-70 on the Sheldon scale.

What does "Details" mean on a certified coin?

A "Details" grade (e.g. "AU Details, cleaned") means the coin has the technical grade of About Uncirculated but has been damaged or altered (cleaned, scratched, polished, or tooled), which disqualifies it from a straight numerical grade. Details coins typically sell for 20 to 50% of equivalent-grade problem-free examples.

Is MS-65 the same as BU?

MS-65 is a tight Sheldon-scale grade meaning "Gem Uncirculated": strong lustre, above-average strike, minor blemishes only. BU (Brilliant Uncirculated) is a broader British grade covering roughly MS-63 to MS-70. An MS-65 coin is always BU; a BU coin is not necessarily MS-65.

What are PCGS and NGC?

PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service, founded 1986) and NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Company, founded 1987) are the two dominant third-party coin grading services. They authenticate, assign a Sheldon-scale grade, and seal the coin in a tamper-evident holder called a "slab". In the UK, CGS (Coin Grading Service, now London Coin Grading Service) performs the same function.

How is a Proof coin graded?

Proof coins are graded on the same Sheldon scale but with a "PR" or "PF" prefix, so PR-70 is a perfect proof. Proofs are judged additionally on the contrast between frosted devices and mirror fields; cameo (CAM) and deep cameo (DCAM) designations add a premium. UK proofs use FDC for the same "flawless" concept.

What is a "key date" coin?

A key date is the rarest issue within a series: the coin that collectors need to complete a set. Famous examples include the 1933 British penny (fewer than ten known) and the 1916-D Mercury dime. Key dates command steep premiums at every grade level.

Does grading affect a coin's price?

Enormously. The gap between one grade tier and the next can double the price. A 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent graded MS-63 sells for roughly £1,500; the same coin at MS-65 sells for £3,500. Serious collectors always buy the highest technical grade they can afford because each tier compounds future upside.

Ready to put a grade on your collection?

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