Superficial Grading - You do it, yes you do!

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Coin snobbery has three basic tenets, 1} my coins are better than yours, 2} I know more than you do, and 3} my grading skills are far superior! The first two can be easily proven or otherwise but the last one is more tricky and once you find out the truth you will never have to fear coin snobs again. So, listen up....

Today is my 60th birthday, I'm not real happy about that, I was quite content being 30 and wished to remain so but no..... Tempus Fugit and all that crap just had to spoil it. However it does mean that I'm now entering my 7th decade as a numismatist and as I'm a pretty savvy guy I've learned quite a lot during that time. One of the things I've learned is that whenever two or more coin collectors come into proximity, they are inevitably going to have a conversation about cleaning and grading coins. It's equally inevitable that roughly 92.74% of what is said will be complete bollocks. Of all the many and varied subjects these are the two that always bring out the most interesting theories and strong opinions. Coin cleaning has been adequately discussed at length elsewhere but there remains a whole lot of misinformation about grading, even among the more experienced collectors.

It's not going to be a grading guide, that's been tried and it was proven beyond the reach of a mere forum post (I have other plans), nor is it going to degenerate into one of my spectacular, entirely accurate and well informed rants against the Sheldon Scale and TPGs. It's going to be a gentle discussion during which we can explore together the many myths and fallacies surrounding the subject. OK, enough with the preamble, let's git down in the trenches....


If I said to you, "Your collection consists of mostly superficially graded coins." you would most likely assume it to be an insult. Well, it's true. My collection also consists of mostly superficially graded coins too. Apart from the highly specialized types who may have a tightly focused collection of a few dozen coins from series they are intimately familiar with, pretty much everyone else has hundreds or even thousands of coins from all over the globe. Anyone who thinks they have graded every one of those coins accurately is only fooling himself.

To grade coins with accuracy, and equally importantly consistency, you need to know a whole lot of things before you even pick up your loupe. To begin with you need to be familiar with what a genuine mint state coin should look like, otherwise how on earth do you expect to know how much wear has taken place? You need of know how that particular coin will wear, which are the first places and how the progressive degree of wear fits into the grading framework. You will need to be aware of each of the grade markers for that specific coin and how strong features balance the weaker features to arrive at the right grade. You will have to take into account the state of technology for the period / region and the quality standards of the mint. How long were worn dies allowed to serve, how common were weak strikes and impurities in the metal. Sounds complicated? That's because it is.

There are some very useful websites and guides available to help you but ultimately there is no substitute for experience. So it should be clear by now that it's not realistic for the average collector to become an expert in every series or even more than a handful of them. Anyone claiming otherwise is a charlatan and a mountebank.

So we rely on what I've described as superficial grading for the vast majority of the coins which pass through our hands. It doesn't mean making a wild, usually overoptimistic, guess. It means you are applying the knowledge you have picked up from other, more familiar series in an attempt to describe a coin as honestly and accurately as possible. It isn't a bad thing, it doesn't make you a crook or a noober, it's just the way things are. When you find a coin which you think might have been overgraded by another collector, don't start beating your chest and making threats, it just makes you look like an idiot. A simple polite message will usually fix the problem, if it doesn't move on and don't look back. We're all in the same boat here folks.

Other despicable canards, low tricks, falsehoods and outright idiocies -

"Grading is subjective...."

No, it isn't. It has immutable laws just like mathematics or gravity, you just don't feel like applying them. What you are basically saying is that you are grading your coins in a cynically careless manner and you will accept no responsibility for it. In my experience such a disclaimer typically precedes the receipt of a bunch of knowingly overgraded coins.

"American grading standards are much lower than European ones"

When applied to the silly Sheldon Scale there is some merit to this argument however most knowledgeable and experienced numismatists use the European system. There is no difference in standards, but there is a difference in how rigidly those standards are applied. It's a cultural thing but that shouldn't excuse it. There is a commonly held belief that US collectors routinely bump up their grades a notch or two. Well, not the ones I deal with. There is no reason to accept inflated grades and equally no reason to assume that an American collector will be guilty. Bad collectors are bad collectors wherever they were born, America has a vast population and coin collecting is very popular so it's obvious there will be more inaccuracies. Don't be an enabler!

"Grading is consistent and the same standards should be applied to all coins no matter their age or composition."

No. The expectations of "UNC" are very different for a 2016 coin compared with one from 100 years ago. A coin from the 1800's can be legitimately called UNC while the same condition for a current coin would be relegated to AU or even EF. This is especially true of coins made from softer or corrosion prone materials such as zinc or aluminium.

In conclusion, the message is this..... Yes, coin grading is a very difficult and complex subject but don't be afraid to jump in and give it your best shot. For the vast majority of coins an honest attempt as described above is perfectly adequate. Don't be intimidated and don't let anyone pull the wool over your eyes.



(Adapted from a much longer article written in 2013 which may or may not be published, possibly on my own numismatic themed blog, whenever I get around to it. All intellectual copyrights reserved and all that legal mumbo jumbo)
Non illegitimis carborundum est.  Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!  
Happy Birthday Phil - I recently was 60 as well, two weeks ago on 23rd February.

Happy Birthday ol man

Phil
Always remember, No matter where you go, there you are.
Happy Birthday Phil, and thanks for your cogent post!

I think your points are quite valid. I think that "superficial grading" is the best that most of us can hope for coins outside of our specialty areas. I do think that after 40 years of collecting I have developed a better gut feeling for grading. This does not mean that I always get it right, but I hope that experience helps. I do not mean by this that new collectors can not or should not attempt to grade coins, just that I hope we get better with age, in this area anyway;)
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Quote: "Koin72"​Happy Birthday ol man

​ Phil



:wiz: HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHIL! (from an even older guy).... Being TOTALLY enamored with the Sheldon scale and TOTALLY involved with TPG coins (NGC Registry) I think that TPG coins are the best way to go for grading because they are graded by experienced group concensus and likely to be more accurate because of this.
If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything
Happy Birthday Phil!
Happy birthday, and great post!

I acknowledge that I do superficial grading, but I like to think it is close enough to the right ballpark that people have an idea of what they will be getting in a swap.

I guess I do something like this, in terms of the "thresholds" that I look for:

EF/XF: Almost perfect, with minor wear on things like mustaches, edges of eagle wings, etc. Minor elements of coats of arms should still be crisp. Usually as high as I will go with a 100+ year old coin with no known provenance. Seems dishonest to claim UNC, although maybe for coins where I know exactly what an uncirculated example looks like I will make an exception.

VF: Covers a wide ground. Worn but not excessively so. Hair can have strands blending together, minor details on shields might be worn away.

F: Coin has an overall "flat" look to it, with wreaths and hair showing numerous worn patches. Small inscriptions still legible.

VG: Obverse portrait is getting to the point of a silhouette, but major legends are still well-defined. The rim still exists.

G: The rim is worn away and major legends are blurring or faded in several places.

Fair/AG: Coin is identifiable, but barely.

Is that about right?

I would love to see a series of articles (maybe for the Numisdoc tab) discussing grading criteria for various series of world coins. For example, I know certain very helpful markers to look for on Edward VII and George V profiles, and on the Britannia reverse. Other common, recurring images include the eagles on the German Empire coins (with the "shield within a shield" details) and on the Reichspfennigs, the ornate designs on the holed French coins, the sower on higher denomination French coins, the looping arch motif on Belgian coins, etc. I'm sure from long experience, you begin to recognize where the high points are on these coins and you can establish thresholds that determine a grade. For a beginner, it's a bit daunting, though.
Happy Birthday and a lot of information to take in :D
LittleJohn Metal Detecting
Happy Birthday! (Good article!)
Catalogue administrator
Happy birthday. I am 55 so I'm a few years behind you. I used to have a crush on Emma Peel (Diana Rigg to be more specific). I have posted a lot of coins of mine and asking other collectors to grade them-and I have found I do tend to overgrade my coins somewhat. So, I did pick up a few coins today so I'll post the pictures with the grading of them. They'll probably be the last I buy for a few weeks at least.

first is 1877 U.S. Seated Liberty Quarter-graded fine. Next is a 1937H Sarawak cent-graded unc. third is a 1917 Chile Peso-graded vf. And last is a 1993 50 Korun coin from the Czech Republic. I only bought the last one because I liked the design so much.

coin collecting is fun.
Hey Phil Happy B-DAY
It is, what it is, or is it.
Great post and Happy Birthday Phil...:wiz:
Restoration addict : Verdigris Removal : Zinc White spot removal : Iron Rust Removal : Silver brooch/necklace mount Removal
Happy 60th!!!

As always, your comments make me think/reflect and laugh. Good qualities in a person.
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.  It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so.  Mark Twain
Belated birthday wishes Phil you old X-D
Cracking post mate.
I deny nothing but doubt everything, opinions are made to be changed, how else is the truth to be gotten at.
Happy Birthday, Dear Mr. Phil! :wiz:
Quote: "pnightingale"I was quite content being 30 and wished to remain so
What's the problem? You have done it twice!
I’ve faced these same questions, and I still face these questions as I aim to keep improving as a collector. Everything I’ve learned has been self-taught from reading and listening to more experienced expert collectors (some were full of bull and some were full of knowledge and made sense). One of my favorite lessons: Don’t forget about “solved” problems. That time when you feel you have accomplished the ideal grade that feels right and fits to your collection criteria. - and you know it is right. This is Superficial Grading on my terms and at 68 that is probably the best I can hope for.

Your post was expertly done and I wish you a very happy 60th . Ed
Those who believe they can do something and those who believe they can't are both right.
- Henry Ford
As ever a fantastic read mate. I hope you had a great day..

My whole collection bar maybe the 4/5 graded coins I have are done this way. Hell I've even just let a graded VF Canadian token go because I got a raw specimen which I think is in better Nick !

I'm lucky I suppose with my area of "expertise" they all have very similar wear indicators with exception of a few.. maybe there should be a Numisdoc created where all members can submit the wear indicators of their expert areas and how to distinguish them to allow non-collectors of the areas to make a better judgement ?
Quote: "pnightingale""Grading is subjective...."

​No, it isn't. It has immutable laws just like mathematics or gravity, you just don't feel like applying them. What you are basically saying is that you are grading your coins in a cynically careless manner and you will accept no responsibility for it. In my experience such a disclaimer typically precedes the receipt of a bunch of knowingly overgraded coins.


​I completely disagree with this. Ballroom dancing, Boxing, Diving, Gymnastics, Ice skating and Surfing all also have rules governing how to judge a performance, but if you have seen any of these sports, you'll know that pretty much every time a panel of judges will give a wide range of scores, that's because the judging is subjective, they all interpret the performance differently. Most of them will be within cooee of each other when offering the score. So a dive might have scores ranging from 5.2 to 5.5, which is why they usually have a panel of 6 judges watching a dive and dismiss the highest and lowest scores.

Exactly the same principal applies to coins. There may be immutable laws governing how to judge a coin, but look at any of the threads asking for a grading and you'll find a range of answers, and send the exact same coin to several different grading services and you'll likely get a few different grades, because grading is subjective. But like diving, you'll find that all the grades will be within cooee of each other, you may submit a coin that comes back an average of MS63, but the grades range from MS61-MS65
Quote: "neilithic"
Quote: "pnightingale""Grading is subjective...."
​​
​​No, it isn't. It has immutable laws just like mathematics or gravity, you just don't feel like applying them. What you are basically saying is that you are grading your coins in a cynically careless manner and you will accept no responsibility for it. In my experience such a disclaimer typically precedes the receipt of a bunch of knowingly overgraded coins.

​​I completely disagree with this. Ballroom dancing, Boxing, Diving, Gymnastics, Ice skating and Surfing all also have rules governing how to judge a performance, but if you have seen any of these sports, you'll know that pretty much every time a panel of judges will give a wide range of scores, that's because the judging is subjective, they all interpret the performance differently. Most of them will be within cooee of each other when offering the score. So a dive might have scores ranging from 5.2 to 5.5, which is why they usually have a panel of 6 judges watching a dive and dismiss the highest and lowest scores.

​Exactly the same principal applies to coins. There may be immutable laws governing how to judge a coin, but look at any of the threads asking for a grading and you'll find a range of answers, and send the exact same coin to several different grading services and you'll likely get a few different grades, because grading is subjective. But like diving, you'll find that all the grades will be within cooee of each other, you may submit a coin that comes back an average of MS63, but the grades range from MS61-MS65

I also agree. Grading is subjective to some extent, but there are some definite guidelines . It is sort of an art and skill built on experience.
coin collecting is fun.
Way back in the mists of time, numismatically speaking, there was a company called Compugrade which preceded the current gaggle of TPGs by a few years. Their business model was pretty simple. They created a huge database of coin images which measured the known markers against a scan of a coin to be graded. Their program would compare the candidate against millions of images and deliver a grade with machine-like precision. They even claimed that the program was so sophisticated and that it could assign grades with such precision that even the Sheldon Scale wasn't sufficient so they added a decimal point to all their grades! Now I don't know about you fellers but MS 67.4 sounds anything but subjective to me! In fact it goes beyond the merely objective and into the realm of definitive.

Sadly it didn't quite work out as intended as there is no way to replicate judgement. It takes an experienced human eye to tell the difference between details missing due to a poor strike and the signs of wear. You can still find coin rattling around in Compugrade slabs and if you do I'd very much advise you to keep them as found, they have far greater value as numismatic curios.

I wonder if such a venture might succeed this time around? There have been enormous strides in technology over the intervening two and a half decades or so. Just take a look at the facial recognition software in use by the intelligence agencies and imagine that applied to coin grading. As people have lost their initial reluctance to hand over cash in return for a slabbed and graded coin there is a real chance for someone to move TPGs into the next stage.
Non illegitimis carborundum est.  Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!  
I would ask a simple question. Once you assign a grade to a coin, how can you prove you're right? Generally by comparing it against other coins that have been graded the same, which is pretty much the same as asking for a second opinion. You check you coin against what someone else has decided are the characteristics of a coin in that grade. Do you think everyone agreed when deciding of the grades? I'm guessing no.
Well, yeah I could compare it to other known examples for sure. I could also refer you to the many published guides to support my claim. This is why I don't buy into the "subjective grading" line and I think it's either a cop out at best, at worst a cynical prelude to someone trying to set the stage for hustling some overgraded coins. Coin grading is predictable simply because of it's objective nature. If you send me a coin which you describe as VF, it's very likely that I will receive a coin which I also think is VF.

Now consider something truly subjective like fine art. You could send me what you think is a really nice Van Gogh and the chances are I'll think it's utter crap and use it to light the fire. Send me a Walter Sickert or a William Hogarth and I'll be delighted. How could you even begin to grade a painting? That's what having a subjective value means to me. Most artists die in miserable poverty because everyone thinks their work is crap. Sometimes a prominent dealer will decide that the crap actually has some merit and is now worth millions. Bunch of pretentious, degenerate commies if you ask me.

At some point, I'm guessing in the mid 1700's a bunch of antiquarians, as they were then known, gathered together in their frock coats and powdered wigs and decided to come up with a coin grading scale. As they were almost exclusively interested in antique coins they omitted the UNC grade and opted for Fair, Fine, Very Fine and Extremely Fine. What a pity that nobody had the foresight to record the discussion. Did they pull out coins from their waistcoat pockets and use a few examples to illustrate each grade? Maybe they got into a big ole argument and settled it with pistols at dawn. We'll never know I reckon but wouldn't it have been a bust if some bloke just got up and said "Well, look coin grading is entirely subjective so let's just pack it in and go watch a cockfight or a public flogging."
Non illegitimis carborundum est.  Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!  
I certainly do superficial grading though, because personally I'm not too worried about grading. I like my coins to look nice so I try to get coins that are VF or above. It's usually pretty easy to tell when a coin is at least VF, after that I couldn't really care less whether it's VF, XF, AU, UNC or MS1,000,000. In fact there are many coins in my collection many would probably grade as UNC that I have put as XF, simply because I am reluctant to label a coin UNC and I don't really worry about it anyway.

Cockfight and public flogging anyone?
Happy birthday Pnightingale. I very much enjoyed your article on grading. I couldnt help but notice your comment on Sickert. I recall you writing about your interest in Jack the Ripper as well. That is an article that if you ever wrote I would love to read. I read some years ago a book that named Sickert as the Ripper. I bet your thoughts on this would make for interesting reading. Again, happy birthday, and thanks for making Numista that much better.
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...
I am with Neilthic on this. Grading coins has a very subjective element to it. There are guidelines for sure, but grading coins is both subjective but with some objective guidelines to follow.
coin collecting is fun.
My New Zealand Half crowns are great coins for grading.
Just before I go further, these coins are notorious for having stunning reverses from VF up.



This coin looks AU/UNC with its lustre and high rim, in reality its somewhere around gVF maybe EF to the kind.
How?

Obverse - clear flattening on high cheek, some flattening of hair on crown, and eyebrow
Reverse, due to a high rim - has practically no wear, but check pearls at top of crown and lines on cnetral saltaires and cross - EF these lines are sharp. Some wear is evident here.

These distinctions are important - as the price of Halfcrowns in EF to UNC go up exponentially, whereas VF examples are relatively cheap.



Now this coin is truly EF - notice no wear at all on George's hair or cheek and the saltaires are sharp. Maybe even AU



Now lets deal with some more worn halfcrowns
I love coins
None of these coins are mine, but are good exemplars

A standard VF coin (Barely VF)



For George V you have complete band on crown and diamond in middle visible.
Face on left side of obverse is clear and will start to show wear on lip lines

A standard Fine coin (Closer to gVG - aFine and average condition of NZ halfcrowns)



George's hair mostly flat but hairline distinguishable, cheek and ear clear, lettering sharp
Obv both lips on carvings are worn, one on right is still clear, left one is flat. Slataires and ships have no detail

VG - George Obverse


Notice rim is still sharp but much flatter and hairline on the king is now indistinct, edge of lips visible.
Flat dull appearnace and copper leaching through, - a below average coin (The seller calls it stunning!)

The 1935 halfcrown is a standard VG one - notice both faces have flat lines, wear on eye sockets on left. Wheatsheaf has indistinct stalks, lettering still clear is much flatter (The 6d is much nice good Fine)



Good+ This is about as nasty as a silver NZ Halfcrown gets, most of the centre of the portrait is flat
and has little detail. The coins have also blackened and these are good for kids or the melting pot only


Good (Just) - I had to search for a coin this awful!!!

This would be one of the most worn I have seen and they don't get any worse than this, unless you have deliberately damaged coins. They only circulated for 30 years or so, so its the end of the line here!

George is a silhouette with only the outline of the crown, no detail beyond 1mm of silhouette, moustache indistinct.

The other side, slataires are flat, maori faces are flat including eyes, carving lines are worn, the wheatsheaf is a blob and the lettering is flat and daimond is wearing into design.
I love coins
I used to work for a coin website (CoinQuest) forum and help people grade their stuff and even after a year I am still not entirely accurate with my grading. Sadly it doesn't help me much now as we had a different grading scale and it is still entirely subjective.
-Ash
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I mainly posted all that stuff just to prove that my grading skills for circulated pieces are at least competent.

I generally grade hard (Meaning I am unlikely to overgrade).

However I find the difference between AU and UNC very hard on many coins as usually AU and Ef coins have good lustre and even at EF level the wear is not very obvious. gVF and down is much easier.

I would not even try on MS grades like 60 to 70, but would know a Proof coin or untouched one would be at least MS67 if in a packaged mint set.
I love coins
I don't like grading anything that is below EF, I usually let others grade for me when negotiating a trade as I find it easier to evaluate other peoples' opinions rather than my own.
I never include my personal opinion on a coin's grade in a sales listing unless it's clearly EF or above.

Grading is subjective, the international grading scale doesn't take small details such as the amount and consistency of patina or verdigris into consideration.

I grade based on the coin's details and amount of luster, ugly patina, polishing or verdigris doesn't affect the grade but I usually shave off 50% of the price the coin has a major fault.
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I go with Neil on this in that grading is subjective-- I do not grade my coins that i enter into trades, and just supply good scans and let the other guy judge.
For my own coins to grade I am tough, and would always tend to drop to next grade- so if a coin is not quite XF it becomes VF.. The one grade that does annoy me is aUNC the coin is either pure or not pure ( like a virgin), so unless i take out of roll or year set, the coin is XF
UNC with bag marks is another that comes to mind, I would tend to attach a XF tab on any coin that has several bag marks even if out of new bag
Quote: "muzz0000"​I go with Neil on this in that grading is subjective-- I do not grade my coins that i enter into trades, and just supply good scans and let the other guy judge.
​ For my own coins to grade I am tough, and would always tend to drop to next grade- so if a coin is not quite XF it becomes VF.. The one grade that does annoy me is aUNC the coin is either pure or not pure ( like a virgin), so unless i take out of roll or year set, the coin is XF
​UNC with bag marks is another that comes to mind, I would tend to attach a XF tab on any coin that has several bag marks even if out of new bag
​If that is the case, 90% of my coins will be VF, I seem to keep buying stuff that is described as aEF and gVF or its almost EF - seems to be a rubicon with silver coins EF and up and then gVF and down.

How did you feel about that dude stealing the Tongan coins off us on Trade Me tonight (Assuming it was you).
I love coins
Hi yeah i bid on them as well- bought 1000$ worth off guy in the last week, so i had to restrain myself

i think those in between grades are ok for all the lower grades but not UNC so aF , aVF and aXF or maybe F+ VF+ or XF+ but not aUNC
It has taken a long time to learn about grading, I looked at some of my efforts from 10 years ago and cannot believe i graded as hard
Mind you my eyes are not as good now, so must be a compromise, but at least if I do not grade them for trades i do not get into trouble. I like used coins esp VF- XF that have been used to purchase something by some kid and have a story behind them
Going back to one of the original parts of this Topic "grading is subjective" or not as the case maybe? My 2 cents is as follows;

A Grade is never subjective, it can only ever be VF25, AU58, UNC66 or any other grade when it falls into the criteria for that coin. That is a fact, the coin is in that state and fulfills the criteria for being one grade and not another.

I think where collectors find the Subjective sub category of coin grading confusing, is from the fact that a given grade to any coin is a Subjective opinion of the person grading the coin, where they do or do not apply the correct grading criteria to the coin.

All grades assigned to coins (including those from professional grading services)are just an opinion of the person or persons applying the criteria. This ranges from the utterly ridiculous, check out some coins on NumisCorner and see if you agree, to the professional opinions of experts grading day in day out, like NGC or PCGS. All grades are someone's opinion subjectively, but a grade is a grade. Whether the two match in perfect harmony is another question, and where the old adage 'buy the coin, not the grade' comes from.

On a personal note about grading, I am a big fan of learning from doing not just reading! My point here is that the whole grading scale is tailored to the American coin market, when literature states to be this grade "all letters of 'Liberty' must be visiable" as an example of wear, it is hardly helpful when trying to determine the wear on a Belgian coin of the 1940s! So buy, buy and buy more coins, eventually you will have a selection which can be put in order from F to AU, only then will you learn. Oh and also buy same new coins from the Mint as example of uncirculated coins.
Here is my first attempt at a graduated grading scale.

The only coin I have multiple examples of in silver - New Zealand Halfcrowns 1933 - 1946

Basically most of my best coins and a few spares that make up the low conditions.

I have tried to make the pictures a little larger - but the cellphone camera limits detail. Click on them


The Obverses ranging from gEF down to Good (UNC coins of this era cost thousands)
It is not the best coin for obverses as lustre and sharp detail goes right down to VF and only under VF do you see visible wear.



Detail - you can really see the decline between good and fine, but the best 7 coins have barely any difference!
I love coins
The grading is irrespective of stains and toning - sadly NZ is not the best market to get flawless clean coins and even my best pieces are a bit flawed.

However Obverses is where you can see differences.

4 Major KGV conditions (UNC and even EF KGV are very very expensive)



Basically the aEF coin shows full detail on hair and bust. Individual pearls on crown are flat and the whole portrait has light overrall wear.

Good Fine coin has a full crown line, some hair detail and robe detail - but diamond in middle is blurry.

The VG coin has incomplete crown line - but more detail than silhouette, blackening on these silver/copper/zinc coins is common in lower condition pieces.

The Good coin has a full rim and lettering - but George is a silhouette and flat 1mm in from the bust edge.

With George VI I can offer you 9 coins (Although 4 or 5 only cover the EF to VF spectrum)



The EF coins will have no hair flattening and all hairs should be distinct. Light wear on the hairs on the temple and cheekbones (However there should be no blackening or flattening)

Higher VF coins have light stains and light blackening on the hair and cheek lines. They should have a good amount of Lustre.

The lower, barely VF and near VF pieces have clear flattened patches on the temple hair, cheeks and edge of neck. However there should be at least 2/3 detail for VF and 50% for high Fine coins.

Fine coins will have extensive flattening on cheek and higher face parts, eyebrow, the hair vut ears are sharp and plenty of detail on edge hairs and eyes.

VG coins have the hair edge outlined, but virtually no detail - cheeks are completely flat. Ears indistinct.

G+ coins have an incomplete hairline, partial ear, cheek and mouth can be incomplete.

Good and below are just silhouettes (No coins this bad shown)

So I hope you guys like this and can do it with a coin set of your own!
I love coins
I have a question: how do you grade a coin which would be XF/UNC but for the spots of oxidation due to poor alloy? Happens a lot with last decade Serbian Dinars but not only.
Quote: "Dejan"I have a question: how do you grade a coin which would be XF/UNC but for the spots of oxidation due to poor alloy? Happens a lot with last decade Serbian Dinars but not only.
​Faults and errors should be noted separately unless it constitutes a known variety, in which case it would be an entirely different coin and most like have a different catalog reference number. That's not a very satisfactory or clear answer so let's unpack the question a little.

Changes to the coin which are not the result of circulation don't affect the grade but they do affect the value considerably. An extreme example is a holed coin. So it's catalogued as EF (holed). Many collectors try to account for the hole by dropping a grade or two, but a holed EF coin can't become a problem free VF coin! That's the road to a whole lotta problems.
Non illegitimis carborundum est.  Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!  

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