Sheldon Grading Scale
Dr. William Sheldon created the Sheldon Scale in 1949. The American Numismatic Association (ANA) adapted the scale in the 70's to grade US coins. Today you can have any coin graded officially using the Sheldon Scale.
Mint State (MS), Proof (PR)
| Numeric Grade | Abreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | MS/PR-70 | A coin with no post-production imperfections and it free of visual marks. |
| 69 | MS/PR-69 | A fully struck coin with nearly minuscule imperfections. |
| 68 | MS/PR-68 | Very sharply struck with only tiny imperfections. |
| 67 | MS/PR-67 | Well struck with minor imperfections. |
| 66 | MS/PR-66 | Very well struck with minimal marks not in focal point. |
| 65 | MS/PR-65 | Well struck with minor marks or hairlines mostly out of focal points |
| 64 | MS/PR-64 | Average or better strike with some obvious marks or hairlines. |
| 63 | MS/PR63 | Slightly weak strike with moderate abrasions. |
| 62 | MS/PR-62 | Average or below strike with several abrasions. |
| 61 | MS/PR-61 | Average or weak strike with no trace of wear and several abrasions. |
| 60 | MS/PR-60 | Poorly struck with numerous abrasions or hairlines. |
About Uncirculated (AU), Extremely Fine (XF), Very Fine (VF)
| Numeric Grade | Abreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | AU-58 | Slight friction with full details. |
| 55 | AU-55 | Slight friction, full details and most luster. |
| 53 | AU-53 | Slightly flat with loss of luster on high points. |
| 50 | AU-50 | Some wear on higher points with most luster gone. |
| 45 | XF-45 | Light wear on design with some luster visible. |
| 40 | XF-40 | Completely flat but some design remains with little to no luster left. |
| 35 | VF-35 | Light wear on entire coin but detail still remains. |
| 30 | VF-30 | Entire coin now worn, detail has started to flatten. |
| 25 | VF-25 | Entire surface worn, major details are still visible. |
| 20 | VF-20 | Moderate wear with some loss of details. |
Fine (F), Very Good (VG), Good (G), About Good (AG),Fair (FR), Poor (PO)
| Numeric Grade | Abreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | F-15 | Just less than half of the detail worn flat but letters are still visible. |
| 12 | F-12 | Half of the details are flat but lettering remains visible. |
| 10 | VG-10 | Details are now considerably flat but letters are still legible. |
| 8 | VG-8 | Most details are flat with only inner letters visible. The rim is still full. |
| 6 | G-6 | Lettering and rims are now flat but only the outline is visible. |
| 4 | G-4 | Rims and lettering are flat and worn. |
| 3 | AG-3 | Rims are blended into lettering but are still legible. |
| 2 | FR-2 | Coin is now worn flat with hardly any lettering still visible. |
| 1 | PO-1 | Coin can only be identified by type, date and mintmark. |
