Slabbed Coins: What Are They and How Do You Collect Them?

Slabbed coins are coins that are placed in special holders and graded by different grading companies to what condition the actual coin is in. There are several companies that grade these coins and there are several ways of collecting these Slabbed coins. There are also different levels of grading that will also be discussed in this article. 

Here is how the grading of coins breaks down. There is Mint State (UNC- uncirculated) which means absolutely no trace of wear. MS 70 is the perfect coin as is PR70 which means proof 70. Below this is Almost Uncirculated (AU) which means that there is a small trace of wear that is visible on the highest points of the coin. Below this is Extremely Fine (XF or EF) which means very light wear on only the highest points of the coin. The next grading is Very Fine (VF) which means there is light to medium wear on the coin, but all major features are still sharp on the coin. The next grading level is Fine (F) which means there is moderate to heavy wear on the coin but the entire design is still clear and bold. The next grading level is Very Good (VG) which means the coin is well worn and the design is clear but lacks details. The next rating is Good (G) which means the coin is heavily worn and the design is fading in spots. The next grading level is Almost Good (AG) which means the coin’s design is worn down to a smooth surface and parts of the date are fading. The last grading level is Fair (Fair) which means you can tell what the coin was but everything is worn down. 

There are several companies that grade coins and here are the links to four of the well known and most reliable ones:

http://www.pcgs.com/ this is the link to PCGS one of the most well known of the grading companies.

http://www.icgcoin.com/ this is the link to ICG which is one of the older companies that grades coins.

http://www.ngccoin.com/ this is another link to a well-known coin grading company.

http://www.segsgrading.com/ another link to a grading company.