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Graded Coins
BullionByPost offer a range of graded coins for sale that have been certified by the NGC, PGCS or other leading coin grading services. The coin grading system used by professional grading specialists uses a uniform rating system that helps to easily establish the condition of a coin, and therefore its value. NGC and PGCS graded gold coins are sealed in tamper proof cases with the certified details of the coin grade and a unique serial number that can be tracked online.
Customers can call our Support Team on 0121 634 8060 or email support@bullionbypost.co.uk for further information.
2023 1/2oz Gold Britannia Coin CIII NGC MS69
from £1,863
2023 1/2oz Gold Britannia Coin QEII NGC MS69
from £1,863
1999 Proof 1/2oz Gold Britannia Coin NGC PF69
from £2,095
Graded Gold and Silver Coins
The Sheldon Scale
The Sheldon Scale is the most popular modern coin grading system used by numismatic grading specialists to rate the quality of coins. The scale ranges from 1 to 70, with 70 being the highest level of quality. The two largest grading companies, the NGC and PGCS, both use this scale with some minor differences in naming conventions.
Mint State Coin Grades MS60 - MS70
Coins graded between 70 - 60 are considered mint state meaning they are of a similar quality to a freshly minted coin. The quality of these mint state coins varies from the lowest level MS-60 to the highest quality MS-70, which are considered as coins with no post-production imperfections at 5x magnification. When standard mint state coins are manufactured the coin blank is typically struck once to imprint the design. Proof coins are made to a higher specification where the coin blank is struck at least twice to give a more defined and higher quality imprint. Graded mint state proof coins have the two-letter code PF (NGC) or PR (PGCS) before their numeric grade.
| Mint State Grade | NGC Proof Grade | PGCS Proof Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS70 | PF70 | PR70 | A coin with no post-production imperfections at 5x magnification. |
| MS69 | PF69 | PR69 | A fully struck coin with nearly imperceptible imperfections. |
| MS68 | PF68 | PR68 | Very sharply struck with only miniscule imperfections. |
| MS67 | PF67 | PR67 | Sharply struck with only a few imperfections. |
| MS66 | PF66 | PR66 | Very well struck with minimal marks and hairlines. |
| MS65 | PF65 | PR65 | Well struck with moderate marks or hairlines. |
| MS64 | PF64 | PR64 | Average or better strike with several obvious marks or hairlines and other miniscule imperfections. |
| MS63 | PF63 | PR63 | Slightly weak or average strike with moderate abrasions and hairlines of varying sizes. |
| MS62 | PF62 | PR62 | Slightly weak or average strike with no trace of wear. More or larger abrasions than an MS/PF 63. |
| MS61 | PF61 | PR61 | Weak or average strike with no trace of wear. More marks and/or multiple large abrasions. |
| MS60 | PF60 | PR60 | Weak or average strike with no trace of wear. Numerous abrasions, hairlines and/or large marks. |
Gold and silver graded coins in mint state are typically more modern coins that were not produced for circulation but for investors in bullion or as collectors' coins.
About Uncirculated Coin Grades AU50 - AU58
| AU58 | Slight wear on the highest points of the design. Full details. |
| AU55 | Slight wear on less than 50% of the design. Full details. |
| AU53 | Slight wear on more than 50% of the design. Full details except for very minor softness on the high points. |
| AU50 | Slight wear on more than 50% of the design. Full details except for minor softness on the high points. |
Extremely Fine Coin Grades XF40 - XF45
| XF45 | Complete details with minor wear on some of the high points. |
| XF40 | Complete details with minor wear on most of the high points. |
Very Fine Coin Grades VF20 - VF35
| VF35 | Complete details with wear on all of the high points. |
| VF30 | Nearly complete details with moderate softness on the design areas. |
| VF25 | Nearly complete details with more softness on the design areas. |
| VF20 | Moderate design detail with sharp letters and digits. |
Fine Coin Grades F12 - F15
| F15 | Recessed areas show slight softness. Letters and digits are sharp. |
| F12 | Recessed areas show more softness. Letters and digits are sharp. |
Very Good Coin Grades VG8 - VG10
| VG10 | Wear throughout the design. Letters and digits show softness. |
| VG8 | Wear throughout the design. Letters and digits show more softness. |
Good Coin Grades VG8 - VG10
| G6 | Peripheral letters and digits are full. Rims are sharp. |
| G4 | Peripheral letters and digits are nearly full. Rims exhibit wear. |
About Good Coin Grades AG3
| AG3 | Most letters and digits are readable. Rims are worn into the fields. |
Fair Coin Grades FR2
| FR2 | Some details are visible. Rims are barely visible. |
Poor Coin Grades PO1
| PO1 | Enough detail to identify the coin's date and type. Rims are flat or nearly flat. |
Coin Grading Services
Typically, the graded coins that we buy and sell have been rated by the one of the two major coin grading specialists, the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) or the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
NGC Graded Coins
The Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) is the worlds largest coin grading specialist, having graded an astonishing 60,000,000 coins. Their grading service covers not only investment grade gold and silver coins but also coins made from platinum, palladium, copper, bronze and a variety of other metals. They operate globally and offer grading services in the US, UK, Germany, China and the United Arab Emirates. Their reputation as a leading specialist in the field of numismatic grading and trust in the quality of their service makes it more straight forward to buy and sell NGC graded coins.
PCGS Graded Coins
The PCGS are an American organisation started in 1985 in California. The company filled the gap in the market for coin certification. They were experts that knew that while the grading system for coins was accurate, it needed to be enforced correctly, and so they recruited likeminded experts to operate in this market niche.
