What is the quality of my coin?

In this blog, we will help you find out what quality your coin or coins are in. In the article below, we have described all the qualities that apply to coins. In the coin world, different terms are used to indicate the quality in which a coin is graded. Find out what quality your coin is in below.

Qualities for coins:

Good:

The coin has been in circulation even longer and is therefore very worn. Year type and coin type can mostly still be traced.

Very good:

A coin has been in circulation for a very long time and is badly worn, especially at the higher parts such as the hairs and lion. Portions of the text may only be legible.

Beautiful:

The coin has been in circulation for a fairly long time and therefore shows multiple and larger signs of wear. The finer details are almost no longer visible.

Very Fine:

The coin has been in circulation for a long time and shows wear on the higher areas. The original FDC gloss is gone. All details are still clearly visible, but not sharp. 

Wonderful:

A coin has only been in circulation for a short time and shows hardly any visible signs of wear.

UNC:

When a coin leaves the press, it is FDC. It then falls into a bucket and usually immediately becomes UNC. Falling in and during further transport causes the coins to rub along each other. causing slight surface damage. Also called "Bagmarks" in English. Furthermore, the same description applies to a UNC coin as to FDC. Especially with larger coins it can happen that due to falling, etc., heels and pits occur. If such damages are minor, the coin falls into the UNC category. UNC originally comes from the English word "uncirculated". , also called uncirculated. 

BU:

Bu coins use a better quality rondelles (coin plates) and the dies are specially processed. A light mat-tering is applied to the engraving to better highlight the design. A BU coin is a normal circulation coin that has never been circulated, so traces of the production process may be visible, but damage from heavy use does not occur. 

FDC:

The coin is grade FDC at the time the coin comes out of the press and before it falls into the collector bucket. These coins are undamaged, showing no trace of wear or other defects. The coin is in perfect quality. Also, the coin has an original luster (matte egg luster). However, this luster disappears with the use of the coin. If one keeps the coin carefully, the FDC luster will remain and one can continue to speak of a coin with an FDC quality.
Fleur de coin also stands for "Fleur de coin" (French for "flower of the stamp"), abbreviated to FDC, is a numismatics term used to indicate the new intact condition of a coin.

Prooflike:

For prooflike coins, only the coin plates are polished and the stamps are treated with extra care. More coins are struck per stamp than with prooflike coins. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between a prooflike coin and the first strike of a new stamp on a coincidentally beautiful coin plate. Prooflike coins are also very vulnerable, the mirrored surface is easily damaged.

Proof:

Proof-quality coins are struck on polished coin blanks. Officially, Proof is not a quality, but a production method. A coin with polished stamps is not necessarily FDC. When polishing, the deeper parts are not touched, so they remain rough and ensure that the higher parts of the coin are matte after the proof coin is struck. These proof coins are very fragile and the striking mirrored surface is easily damaged. It is not recommended to polish proof coins or treat them with a cloth. Handle the coin by the edge only for to avoid fingerprints.


Finally, terms such as "Very nice +" or "Very nice-

Quality descriptions in the coin market are regularly described with a plus or minus sign. To explain further, we will assume the quality "Very Fine. One has a coin that is almost 'very fine'. This one comes fairly close and is therefore described as 'very fine-'. One also has a coin that is more than 'very fine', but to describe it as 'beautiful' would be a slight exaggeration. Therefore, one opts for the term 'very fine+'. What is also common is to describe the coin as 'exquisite-'. This actually amounts to the same thing.

Hopefully this blog has helped you get a better idea of what grades there are in the coin world. The higher the quality the higher the collectible value of the coin. A catalog can help you discover an estimate of value. Qualities in banknotes have similarities, but still have differences. So this blog is meant to help you estimate what quality your coin is. We wish you good luck with your hobby and coin grading.

Do you still have questions, following this written article?
If so, please feel free to contact with us.

Sincerely,
David-coin
David van Vugt