How to read the label on a graded coin
Guide
Sending photos doesn't commit you to sell
What does this sealed plastic holder and its label mean?
A sealed holder whose label shows a grade and a certification number normally means a grading service has examined the coin, graded its condition and sealed it inside. The label also names the coin, and you can look the number up.
1. What the holder is
A grading holder is a sealed, rectangular plastic case with a coin and a printed label inside. Collectors often call it a slab.
It comes from a grading service: an independent company that confirms a coin is genuine, grades its condition and seals the coin and label in the holder.
The grade is that service's judgment of the coin's condition.
Not every plastic holder is a grading holder. For example, the U.S. government once sold silver dollars in plastic holders of its own.
Leave the coin sealed in its holder.
2. What the label shows
Look for:
- The date and, if the coin has one, the mintmark: the letter or letters that show which mint made it.
- The denomination (cent, dime, dollar and so on), often shortened, such as $1 for a dollar.
- The grade, usually in letters and a number.
- A certification number, unique to that coin, and a barcode.
- Sometimes more: a variety name for a small difference in the design, or letters after the grade for things like the color of a copper coin.
3. What the grade means
On most labels the number comes from the Sheldon scale, which runs from 1 to 70. A higher number means better condition, and 70 is the top.
A few labels use a 10-point scale or give the grade in words only.
The letters in front of the number tell you more:
- MS is Mint State: a coin of the kind made for circulation that shows no wear. Mint State grades run from 60 to 70.
- PF or PR is Proof: a coin struck for collectors, usually from specially prepared dies, graded on the same scale. Which abbreviation you see depends on the service.
- Letters such as VF (Very Fine) or AU (About Uncirculated) go with numbers below 60, for coins with some wear.
4. When the label says Details
Major grading services typically give a coin with a problem, such as cleaning, scratches or damage, a details grade instead of a regular numeric grade.
The label gives the amount of wear in words, for example AU Details, and notes the problem in words or as a code.
Photograph a details coin the same way as any other.
5. Look up the certification number
Major grading services have a lookup on their own websites. The page shows which number on the label to enter. Add the grade if it asks, then check that the coin and grade it shows match your label.
A matching number alone does not show that a holder is real. Fake holders exist, and some copy a real certification number.
If the lookup shows the service's own photo of the coin, compare it with yours.
6. Leave it sealed and photograph the label
Leave the coin sealed in its holder. Major grading services stand behind a grade only while the coin stays inside an unopened holder.
Photos of the label are the first step:
- Photograph the front and back of the holder, with the whole label in the frame.
- Take a close-up if the certification number is hard to read.
- Use good, even light. If the plastic shows glare, tilt the holder a little.
- Do the same for paper money in a grading holder.
Guides
- Inherited coins or paper money? What to do first
- Old U.S. paper money: what collectors look for
- How to tell if a coin is silver
- Why you shouldn't clean your coins
- How to photograph coins and paper money with your phone
- Morgan and Peace silver dollars: how to tell which you have
- Wheat pennies: which dates to look for
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