Grading Canadian Coins

There are numerous articles on this subject. On the Web enter, Coins +Canadian +Grading into your favourite web search engine. Most have a common description grade ( Very Good, Extra Fine, etc.), but the numerical grading seems to be random. The percentage system is more commonly used for grading in most other evaluating systems, although some do not like the concept of 0% and 100%.

Grading Circulated Coins

There is a generally accepted verbal scale for grading Circulated coins. The five grades of "Fine" coins is confusing and the numerical system is not much help, so a linear numerical series from 5 to 95 in increments of 5 (percent if you like) is suggested for each grade. An alternative descriptive scale is offered to discriminate between "Choice Very Fine", "Extremely Fine" and "Choice Extremely Fine" and the other lower grades of circulated coins.

Grade       Grade Description

5 AG-03 About Good (alt. Very Poor)

Worn nearly smooth, date is barely readable. Original design is visable in outline only. Worth keeping only if it is a key date.

10 G-04 Good (alt. Poor)

Very well worn, date and lettering are readable. Most of the design detail is worn nearly smooth particularily in the center.

15 VG-08 Very Good (alt. Good)

Well worn, design detail on high surfaces is gone. Date and lettering is easily readable.

20 F-12 Fine (alt. Very Good)

Worn, but overall design details are visable. Date and lettering shows some wear.

25 VF-20 Very Fine (alt. Fine)

Shows overall wear, but all design details are visable, including date and lettering.

30 VF-30 Choice Very Fine (alt. Very Fine)

Light overall wear. More wear is shown on the high points and the sharp edges of lettering and other design elements.

35 EF-40 Extremely Fine (alt. Excellant)

Light wear, including on the high points and sharp edges, with traces of mint luster.

40 EF-45 Choice Extremely Fine (alt. Very Excellant)

Very light overall wear, with mint luster in protected areas.

45 AU-50 About Uncirculated

Trace amounts of wear on all high points, and about half of the mint luster remains.

50 AU-55 Choice About Uncirculated

Only the smallest traces of wear are visible on the highest points, and most of the mint luster remains.

Grading Uncirculated Coins

Uncirculated coins are graded in five classes of excellent, half as many grades as circulated coins because wear is not a factor.

Grade      Grade Description

55 MS-60 Typical Uncirculated

An excellant appearing coin except for an acceptable amount of 'bag marks', which are small marks anywhere on the surfaces caused by contact with other new coins.

60 MS-63 Select Uncirculated

Another excellant coin with very few small bag marks.

65 MS-65 Choice Uncirculated

An excellant appearing coin with only small marks not apparent except under close examination.

70 MS-67 Gem Uncirculated

A coin with perfect appearance except for flaws only visable with magnification.

75 MS-70 Perfect Uncirculated

Another excellant coin, flawless under magnification.

The highest grade available for loose coins is 70 or 75, grades above that are for 'packaged' specimens. Coins in containers that can be opened or containers that do not adequately protect the surfaces could be assigned grades of 80 or 85 depending on the amount of spoilage. Sealed, proof, double struck 'mint' coins could be graded 90 or 95.