How PCGS Grades Coins

Have you ever wanted to send a coin out to get grading but wondered what grade it would get, or how PCGS graded the coins. What standards they use? Well here is a full list of the grades and how PCGS defines that grade.

Coins are graded on a number scale from one to seventy. One would be the worst condition with almost nothing left of the original detail. Seventy would be the highest quality. A coin with no wear and the full detail struck on the coin. The grades are as follows: 

A coin with all the detail worn away as long as it has a date that can be identified and enough detail to figure out what type it is would grade the worst as PO-1

If the coin meets the description of PO-1 but has some details showing it will grade as FR-2.

A coin that has its rim and readable letters, although pretty worn down it would grade as AG-3

The coin that has slightly warn rim, details although worn flat, and peripheral letters almost full will grade out as G-4. If the coin has full peripheral letters the coin will grade as G-6.

A coin that has its design worn but still has minor details remaining qualifies as VG-8 if it has a little more detail it will get VG-10

When the letters are still sharp in detail and there is still detail in the coin but in the low areas on the coin its grade will be F-12, if there is a little more detail in the low lying areas of the coin PCGS will give the coins the grade of F-15.

When all the letters are sharp and all there and some definition of detail in the coin and not just the low areas it is considered VF-20. If there is slightly more detail the coin will grade as VF-25. If there is almost full detail in the flat areas the coin is graded as VF-30, VF-35 is full detail but the high points are worn flat.

EF-40 is when most of the detail on the coin is full and most of the high points are only partially flat. EF-45 is the same except only a few of the high point are flat.