The Art Of Collecting Rare Graded Collectible Coins

Seeking out the biggest riches has been a part of the people’s mentality since treasures and riches were being created. Now the hunt is on for rare and collectible coins, all of which have a history of being in circulation or not. Explorers have now expanded their searches to the depths of the oceans digging through ship wrecks to find any kind of treasures that may be hiding. The new treasure for the modern American to search for is coins, and rare coins at that. Rare graded collectible coins in good quality are among the most valuable trinkets in existence.

The quality of coins is measured by the grade of each individual coin. The grading system is a 70 point system that has several sub divisions depending on the coin. The rating scale is as follows: 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 20, 40, 50, 58, 60, 63, 65, 68, 69, and last, but most certainly not least, 70. The quality of the coin is ranked higher with the higher numbers.

Inspectors look for any of the following when grading collectible coins: the etching of the word Liberty, luster, eye appeal, mintmark, date, and any identifiable wear. The coins are first inspected by the naked eye, and then are put through further scrutiny when they are examined with microscopes and magnifying glasses.

A coin that is in perfect condition will receive a rating of MS-70, which states that the coin has perfect original luster, with no wear marks, and the stamp on the coin has been perfectly centered. All of these are checked for using a microscope with an 8X optical zoom lens.

The most confusing part about grading coins is that there are three so called buckets. The buckets are basically categories coins can be placed in, which are: About uncirculated, circulated, and uncirculated. Some coins that earn a higher grade may not look as well as a coin that has a lower grade, which is due to the bucket that each coin is put in.

Coins are not always in perfect condition if they are worth hefty sums. The rarity is a key factor in the amount that the coin is worth. The Liberty Head Nickel may be in horrible condition, but it can warrant upwards of a million dollars due to the fact that there are only five known to be in existence. Another rare type of coin is called a mule. A coin that has mismatched stamps on either the front or the back are called mules. For example a quarter with the backing of a dime would be considered a mule.

Mules can also be very rare. Mules are coins that have a face that is supposed to be on the coin model, but the back side was stamped with a backing or face from a different coin. Pursuing this further, for example, the PCGS MS-66 Red is a penny that features the normal face of Abraham Lincoln on the front, but on the reverse side, the back of an everyday dime is seen. This coin is very rare, and may be caused due to changes made at the mint it came from due to demand for different kinds of coins.

Graded collectible coins are the new treasure to hunt for. These small relics of history may be scarce and few between, but the grade, and rarity it receives, may make that small piece of stamped metal; that is most likely not worth more than a dollar, worth a fortune.

Stephen Huston is an expert author, and also collects graded collectible coins. For more information on coins and working from home, visit Stephen’s blog at Stephen Huston.com