How to Grade Your Coins

                                    
Rare Gold Coin collecting is said to be the "Hobby of the Kings." Gold Coin collecting is different from money hoarding. Collecting gold coins as an art form can be traced back to the 14th century. Today, people all over the world are collecting coins. Rare Gold Coins are always sought after, and they are worth every bit the effort!


Good quality coins purchased at reasonable prices will appreciate, but probably no better or worse than other investments. Perhaps one day the coin you bought last year will have gone up in value, but the idea is to buy it so you can enjoy it now, and for as long as you own it.

Although the aesthetics may change, price does not. The value of your coins stays the same regardless of colour.

Many collect coins to commemorate great events in their lives, a child's graduation, a new baby…or to mark historical events such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

One thing is for certain, there isn't a coin collector out there who will stop collecting just because the prices have risen a little and probably the same amount will consider selling their prize collection to the highest bidder.

Commemorative coins are a popular form of collection, as are rare minted coins like those which had an error in their stamping. If a certain set of coins doesn’t interest you, it won’t be any fun at all to become a collector.

Coin dealers will also be more likely to recognize a counterfeit coin, have a higher chance of hearing about the sale of the specific rare coins that interest you, and will recognize an asking price that is over- or undervalued. As an investor, these are all critically important points for your success.

How to Grade Your Coins

A "grade" is described as a shorthand designed by coin experts (numismatists) to reveal a coin’s appearance. Simply put, if a certain coin collector tells another collector that he owns an uncirculated Charlotte 50 half eagle, both should already have a concept of the coins appearance without even seeing it, because of the claim of its grade.

Some disclose that designating a grade to rank or categorize a coin is more of an art rather than science, since often it is extremely subjective or biased; this applies particularly when working on “Mint State” coins where little differences, in terms of grade, make so much difference in the price.

Grading can be learned, studied and applied with a predictable and known outcome that eventually depends on judgment, not feelings.

Like any language, science, sport, or research, it is best to learn and understand coin grading one component at a time, through serious study and experience. Today, most numismatists use the “Sheldon grading scale”. While there are those that complain of "too many grades", most experienced coin graders recognize and appreciate the fact that there is a wide range in features between ranges.

Strike

This is the method of stamping or imprinting a drawing or a symbol onto a blank. Depending on the coin’s design, it can either have weak or strong strike. An example of this would be the “Type II gold dollar” on which both sides (front and back) have the highest strike that is perfectly aligned, meaning, these designs require weak strikes.

Generally the strike is not a key factor in establishing the coin’s grade except when it is included in a series where the value is connected to strike.

Preservation of the coin’s surface

The number of coin marks as well as where they are placed is a significant element in establishing the grade. While there is no fixed formula on the number of coin marks that sets its grade, there are several regulated standards regarding the significance of the location or positioning of a scratch.

All coin dealers are not created equal, and it is nearly impossible to specialize in every area when it comes to collecting rare coins. Therefore, it's important to know what to look for before you select a professional for your coin collecting needs.

But as time goes by, the number of these coins go down. Some get lost and some are damaged beyond recognition.

Three basic rules here: buy what you like, buy what you can afford, and buy at a reasonable price. Follow this advice and you'll enjoy your coins more, you won't pay too much for them and you won't go bankrupt.

Although there are exceptions, most old coins are not particularly valuable unless they are very well preserved. The best starting place for an idea of their worth is to visit the reference section of your local library.

Coin collecting for investment purposes can be a tricky endeavor.

For instance, a coin having a deep scratch that it is not easily visible on its reverse (back) side will not be strictly penalized. However, if the same scratch was positioned on a noticeable or obvious central point on the front, such as the cheek on the Statue of Liberty, it would be penalized much more.

Patina or luster

A coin can have a variation of textures on the surface, influenced by design, the metal that was used and the “mint of origin”. Textures can include frosty, satiny, proof-like and semi-proof-like.

When examining the coin’s surface in terms of grade, two things should be looked at; the quantity, or what is left of the original skin (has to be intact), and the location and amount of marks.

Luster is important especially when determining whether a coin is either circulated or uncirculated. A coin in Mint State technically; is free of abrasion and wear and must not have significant breaks in its luster.

Color

This is a very subjective element in determining coin grade. For instance, a “gold coin” showing dark green-gold pigmentation may be unattractive to one collector and attractive to another.

As gold is moderately an inert metal, it is not prone to much color variance as copper or silver. Although wide ranging colors may exist in gold coins.

Almost all of US gold coins had been dipped or cleaned, therefore not anymore displaying their original color. As coin collectors become knowledgeable, most of them are attracted and fascinated to coins having their natural color. In most coin series, it is nearly impossible to discover original coin pieces.

Eye attraction or appeal

Color, luster, strike and surface marks come together, comprises “eye appeal”. Note that a coin having superior “eye appeal” can be strong in one aspect, such as possessing exceptional luster but not quite as strong in another aspect, such as not so good color.

A coin that is undesirable in one aspect yet good enough in all the other aspects can still be distinguished as “below average” in “eye appeal”.

Knowing how to grade a coin is very important so that one can have an idea of the value or price of the coin that he is buying or selling. When new to coin collecting, be sure to ask the help of an experienced collector or dealer when buying or exchanging your coins.

When deciding which coins to collect, you should consider your interests, your budget, and your return on investment.

An avid coin collector will be able to tell you virtually every piece of history that surrounds any coin in their collection both because they tend to specialize and because knowledge is one of the most important factors when it comes to starting and maintaining a collection of any value or worth.

Good quality coins purchased at reasonable prices will appreciate, but probably no better or worse than other investments.

Hobbyists usually start collecting coins from their own locality. This makes sense because they are the easiest to collect. These hobbyists then expand their collection to coins from increasingly farther and earlier origins.

Scarcity should not be confused with overall mintage. During the silver booms, many, many silver coins were melted for there bullion content.

Coin collecting, or numismatics is a hobby as old as time. As a hobby, it has been around for more than 2,500 years. This is surprising since the use of coins has been around for pretty much that same amount of time too! Your collection can only grow in value as the time passes by! So we urge you to find out more about Gold Coin Collecting, and do make use of all our free resources on Coin Collecting at our site!

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