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What else can I help you with?
How do you determine the grade of a coin?
Each design has a different set of criteria. You can get a book such as Photograde that shows photos of many coins in different conditions in order to help match the ones you have to specific grading categories.
How do you grade a mercury dime?
Go to your local library and find a copy of a book called Photograde. It's probably the best resource available. Failing that, you can look for the famous Red Book from Whitman Publishing. It's mostly a value guide, but has some fairly decent information about grading as well.
I have some silver dollars how do I find out what they are worth today?
Check this related link. You have to determine the grade or condition of each coin, which is often difficult for someone who is not a long-time collector/dealer/student of numismatics, but you can get pretty close on any circulated coin by studing a book named "Photograde" which should be available from your local library.
How can you tell the circulation of a coin?
By definition a coin is circulated if you found it in change.If you mean how do you tell the grade of a coin, that's a much more complex question. Grading is an art as well as a science that can't be easily described in words. You can check a book such as the famous Red Book Guide for general information on grading, or something like Photograde for more specific information.
What is considered good condition for a Morgan dollar 1879?
"Good" condition is actually not very 'good' at all. In coin-speak a "Good" coin (capital G) is very worn, with the date, mint mark and denomination visible but most details worn off. You can check a book such as Photograde to see examples of the various conditions with names such as Poor, Good, Fine, Very Fine, AU, and so on.
How do you define good condition?
Numismatic "Good" condition (normally spelled with a capital G) is in reality the lowest collectible condition. Coins graded Good are usually quite worn. In general, all important details (date, mint mark, denomination, inscriptions) are recognizable. There are specific things to look for on different coins to assign a grade of Good. If you get a book such as Photograde you can see pictures and detailed explanations of what defines the condition for a given coin design and denomination.
How do you find the mint state on a 1910 Barber half dollar?
"Mint state" is another term for "condition" so you look for it by checking how much wear is on various parts of the design and comparing it to descriptions in a book such as Photograde (for serious grading) or the Red Book (for more general use).If you're referring to mint MARK, that's a letter indicating which mint made the coin. On a Barber half it'll be below the eagle. Please see the Related Question for more information.
Where do you find the grade of an Indian head penny?
Grade is another way of saying "condition" so it's not so much where you look but how. You have to examine the coin for signs of wear at various places on the design, and compare it with images shown in a coin-grading book such as Photograde (for serious grading) or the Red Book (for more general evaluations). Once you have an idea of the coin's condition, its date is another important factor in valuing it. In the case of Indian head cents only 1908 and 1909 coins might have mint marks, so if it's any other date you don't need to check where it was made.
What criteria determine the grade of a coin?
At the most general level, a coin's grade is determined by how worn it is. Various numismatic agencies have gotten together and agreed on a specific set of "wear indicators" for each type of coin that can be used to determine where it falls on the grading scale. One example is the amount of the buffalo's horn that's still visible on an Indian Head nickel - none, half, full, etc.At lower levels, say G up to XF, those criteria are about all you need. When you get into uncirculated and proof coins, things become a lot more specific (or picky, if you wish!) The grading committees look at things like how sharp the image is, whether there are any scratches from having been bagged at the mint, and other minute details.Go to your local library and see if they have a copy of James Ruddy's Photograde book. It's considered to be one of the best general references, with pictures of many coins in different states of wear and how that relates to their grades.
How does a coin collector determine the value of Canadian and US silver coins?
A quick overview: They have to determine at least 4 things about the coin: Its date, its mint mark, its condition, and whether it is genuine. The first two are easy, the third is subjective and the fourth can be difficult. There are books like Photograde that show images of coins that experts have graded according to how worn they are, and by matching a coin to the nearest picture it's possible to get a good idea of how its condition will rate. For uncirculated and proof coins there are additional criteria related to the coin's condition that are the province of numismatic grading experts, many of whom have to pass qualification exams or otherwise become certified graders. There are many counterfeit coins on the market, so in many cases it's also necessary to look for signs that a coin is fake. E.g., sloppy lettering, incorrect weight or size, etc. Like looking for forged paintings, it can be a very difficult task to sort out real coins from skilfully-made fakes. Various companies publish current market values for coins (see for example Numismedia.com) that can be used, a bit like the stocks pages in a newspaper, to determine what the current selling and buying prices are for each item.
Are there any books or guides for someone who collects coins and or paper currency?
PAPER MONEY: The Official Blackbook Price Guide to U.S. Paper Money, 36th edition Standard Catalog of United States Paper Money (21st Edition) Paper Money of the United States: A Complete Illustrated Guide With Valuations: The Standard Reference Work on Paper Money (Paper Money of the United States, 17th Ed) Confederate States Paper Money (Confederate States Paper Money, 10th Ed) Confederate Money COIN COLLECTING: The Coin Collector's Survival Manual A Guide Book of United States Coins 2004 Coin Collecting for Dummies How to Grade U.S. Coins How to Make Money in Coins Right Now, 2nd Edition Photograde: A Photographic Grading Encyclopedia for United States Coins The One-Minute Coin Expert, 4th Edition Periodicals: Numismatic News Coins Magazine
How do you tell if your 1920-D Mercury dime is a VF or one of those symbols and how much do you think it is is worth?
"Those symbols" are abbreviations for the grade, or state of preservation, of the coin and range from Poor (you can tell it's a Mercury dime, but that's about all) to Mint State (just like it was when first struck). There is a book that may be available in your library called Photograde. It has pictures of all the US coins in each grade and describes the detail that should be visible in each grade. Any fair-sized public library will have a copy of A Guide Book of United States Coins. This book has a very brief description of the grades for each coin and values for the coins in different grades. DON'T assume these values are current. Prices can change quickly sometimes and since the 2006 edition is probably already being printed it will be six months behind when it gets to the bookstores. Your 20-D will probably be somewhere between $2.40 and $15 in circulated condition. There is an online grading guide for Mercury Dimes here : http://www.coincentric.com/GradingMercuryDimes.htm There is an online retail price guide for them here : http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/prices/mrcdim/pricesgd.shtml
