Coin Grading Basics
What coin grading is, why it matters, the 1-70 Sheldon scale, circulated vs. uncirculated, market vs. technical grading, and the surface factors (strike, luster, marks, eye appeal) that move a grade.
Lessons
Clear, sourced lessons you can work through at your own pace, plain English first, with deeper detail when you want it.
How to Grade a Coin in Hand
A calm, step-by-step workflow for grading a coin yourself: identify it, authenticate it FIRST, check for problems, then judge wear, strike, luster, marks, and eye appeal, and know when to call in a professional.
How Coins Are Made
From artist's design to struck coin: hubs and dies, blanks and planchets, annealing and upsetting, striking, mintmarks, and how worn dies set the stage for errors and varieties.
Errors and Varieties
What counts as a genuine mint error versus a die variety versus post-mint damage, and a tour of the main types: off-center strikes, broadstrikes, clips, cuds, die cracks and clashes, doubled dies, repunched mintmarks, overdates, and the all-important doubled die vs. machine doubling.
Counterfeit Detection
Why authenticity comes before grading, the quick physical checks anyone can do, how to recognize cast and transfer-die fakes and altered coins, the risk of fake holders, and when to send a coin to the experts. For protection only.
Cleaning and Conservation
The single most important rule for new collectors: in almost every case, do not clean your coins. Why cleaning lowers value, how conservation differs from cleaning, the dangers of bad storage (PVC, verdigris), and why valuable coins belong with professional conservators.
How to Identify a Cleaned Coin
Cleaning is one of the most common problems on old coins, and it is detectable. Learn the tells, hairlines, wrong-looking luster, off color, and residue, so you can spot a cleaned coin before you buy.
How to Submit Coins for Professional Grading
A practical walkthrough of professional coin grading: deciding whether a coin is worth submitting, choosing a service, getting submission access, filling out the form, packaging and shipping safely, and understanding what comes back, including disappointing results.