Grading questions 1 1

[Marty1102]

Can someone point me in the right direction of where to look up when a coin is worth grading to put it in a slab? So that I can pass it on to somebody else in my family. Here are a couple of older coins that I got out of a jar that hasn’t seen the day of light since the early  90s. Don’t even know if they’re worth sending in but if someone could give me some pointers on what to look at on the coins, I am sending that takes away from the value other than watching these endless videos Would be fantastic. Thank you very much. And these are just random coins that I grabbed. I’m not asking particularly what you think of these. Just they were three completely different coins in my mind grade  wise that someone could give me pointers on what to look for when I’m looking through these coins because I know a lot of them probably were dropped into this jar right after a roll was broken and a gas station or something when he got home from work

[VKurtB]

None of these are even REMOTELY worth third-party grading. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to spend time at a major coin show first, before even THINKING about submitting any coin for slabbing.

[Marty1102]

I know none of these are I was just asking for pointers or good websites to look at

[VKurtB]

On 10/3/2024 at 9:00 AM, Marty1102 said:

I know none of these are I was just asking for pointers or good websites to look at

I know of NO WEBSITES where this can be learned adequately. Go to coin shows. Buy coin books. No one you can easily access will actually help you; rather they will most likely rip you off. This is a mean, nasty, brutish, hobby filled to the gills with con men, m-o-r-o-n-s, and outright crooks. Only DEEP KNOWLEDGE can possibly protect you from this band of ne’er do wells. If there is one website I can recommend, it is www.money.org, the website (seemingly in a constant state of change, and not the easiest to navigate) of the American Numismatic Association. I have over 61 years of experience in this field and STILL crooks are forever trying to take advantage of me. This hobby can break you, if you’re not constantly on your guard. Whatever you do, stay the heck away from YouTube videos about coins. The VAST majority are done by crooks. 

[GoldFinger1969]

On 10/3/2024 at 10:00 AM, Marty1102 said:

I know none of these are I was just asking for pointers or good websites to look at

You can look up the price on the Internet or check recent auctions, Marty.  But if the coins are ungraded (raw) you're going to need to guestimate the grade and see if in the grade you think it is...if it is worth submitting.  Check out ACTUAL coins that were sold and comapre them to YOUR coin.  That's a good start.

If the coins in question are small denomination coins with no metallic value (i.e., pennies, nickels, etc.) you have a high bar to clear.

[Henri Charriere]

Quite frankly, it would be easier to teach you how to ride a bike. That Wheatie and "Injun" are lovely and a sight to behold, but they wouldn't pass the high bar required to pass muster with so many other variables to consider.  I am afraid this is not an activity you can easily jump into and out of.  You've got to make your bones, and study up!

[Sandon]

    First of all, there is no reason to have low value coins like yours (shown here or elsewhere) graded and encapsulated by third-party grading services at a cost of many multiples of their value so that you can "pass them on" to family members! Your coins should do fine in coin albums such as those made by Whitman and Dansco or in other appropriate holders. Coin collecting and the passing of coins from one generation to the next have occurred for several thousand years. Grading services that encapsulate coins only began with PCGS in 1986 and NGC in 1987. Your coins should indeed be graded but by you, once you have learned to do so. There are far better ways for you to spend your money. Unless a coin is worth several hundred dollars or more, it is not worth submitting.

   Please get yourself reliable print resources, starting with a current (2025) or recent edition "Red Book" and a copy of the ANA Grading Guide. See the following forum topics to identify and locate these and other legitimate print and online resources:

 

[Marty1102]

Thank you guys for all the help honestly like I said in both of my posts these were just random coins. I grabbed and took pictures of ones that I could get clear pictures of so I could understand what to look for and what not to look for. I don’t want you guys to think I was asking you guys if those were worth grading and what you think the grades were because that was not my intent if you read my entire post. But as usual, thank you for all your help. I already ordered the book, so I can do some reading. Have a great day. 

[VKurtB]

On 10/3/2024 at 11:44 AM, Marty1102 said:

Thank you guys for all the help honestly like I said in both of my posts these were just random coins. I grabbed and took pictures of ones that I could get clear pictures of so I could understand what to look for and what not to look for. I don’t want you guys to think I was asking you guys if those were worth grading and what you think the grades were because that was not my intent if you read my entire post. But as usual, thank you for all your help. I already ordered the book, so I can do some reading. Have a great day. 

Look for complete perfection, or as close to it as you can find. For most issues, unless it looks like it was minted yesterday, or alternatively, is quite rare (as an issue, not due to any “error”), it will typically not be worth being third party graded.  Consider @Henri Charriere’s numismatic treasures. Coins are graded on a theoretical 70 point scale. Fresh half dollars out of a 200 coin mint bag average a MS64 typically. Henri’s “keepers” are 1) gold, real honest to goodness gold, 2) well over 100 years old, 3) very French, oo la la, 4) are in the MS66-MS67 range, and 5) as hard to find as a leftist in Northern Alabama. Believe me, that’s nigh onto impossible.

[VKurtB]

Yup, we have official Alabama license tags with the “Don’t Tread On Me” motif. Being a fire-breathing conservative is ALMOST a state requirement for residence. It doesn’t matter if you’re sodbuster or a literal rocket scientist. 

[powermad5000]

You need to avail yourself of a book titled ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins, 7th Edition. It has pictorials and descriptions of each coin in its respective grade.

Stop watching videos on this subject of grading! Buy the book!
 

There is no magic course to be able to teach you how to accurately grade coins. It is done through getting books such as the one I mentioned, going to coin shows to look at high quality coins IN HAND (pictures only get you so far), and also inspecting as much of the coins that pass through your hands as you possibly can. The thing to keep in mind here is to try to view the highest graded coins as possible. Once you see those at the top of detail and surface, it makes it easier to see why a coin is "lesser than".

You can also use the book and double check what you are seeing with the PCGS Photograde on their website. I typically don't need to refer to Photograde, but I have been at this for over 45 years and am pretty confident in my self grading skills at this point.

Just as a reference for you here, the following photos are of my 2003 (P) Lincoln Memorial Cent graded MS 69 RD. Note the details of Abe's face, hair and suit, as well as the pillars and of the tiny Abe inside the pillars of the memorial on the reverse. I am putting these pics here to back up my point that you need to look at the highest graded coins you can find because when you remember the details of the best coins available, you can more easily see why a coin would not grade so high.

Edited yesterday at 03:37 AM by powermad5000

[Marty1102]

Thank you very much I will be ordering that book and checking on coin shows that are coming to Chicago

[samclemen3991]

Hello and welcome to coin collecting.  I am hoping you are a real person.  The last few times i bothered to reply to a post I was informed I was talking to a robot or some such thing.

     You are very lucky to be in the Chicago area.  It is my understanding that some of the biggest coin shows are held there.  I am also going to mention a few web sites you might find useful.

     The first two are auction sites.  They are free to join and you are under no obligation to bid on or buy coins.  On the other hand they have thousands of pictures of thousands of coins that sold for actual money.  You will not only find coins for sale right now, but both sites have archive features.  One is Heritage Auctions and the other is Great Collections.

     The last site I want to mention is called MY COLLECT.  There is not a lot of discussion on the site but it has a feature you might find quite useful.  There is a grading game that allows you to guess the grade of random coins that pop up and then tells you how close your guess was.  This site is also free.  Hope some of this information turns out to be useful.  James

     

[powermad5000]

On 10/3/2024 at 11:11 PM, Marty1102 said:

Thank you very much I will be ordering that book and checking on coin shows that are coming to Chicago

The big ones are done for the year here. The World's Fair of Money in Rosemont was really fantastic. There is a wait for April of next year for the CSNS show in Schaumburg. There is the Orland Park Coin and Stamp show with remaining dates this year of October 6, November 3, and December 22. There may be some other small shows in the suburbs left in the rest of the year also but you would have to do some searching for those.