Grading A Coin For Yourself

For grading U.S. coins try here http://www.PCGS.com/Photograde/ I would think you could grade all coins in general not just U.S. coins using that site. As to which grading company is best,in order...PCGS,NGC,ANACS IMHO.
John1

Non that I know of. Just found this: World Coin Price Guide, https://www.NGCcoin.com/coin-gradin...ading-scale/ NGC's world grading scale. It is the Sheldon scale. From reading it that sounds like you can use the Sheldon scale for all coins.
John1

I am not trying to grade that coin !
I would like to have YOUR opinion, if you had yourself to grade such a coin.
With your comments from your experience, I will understand how to proceed.

I even don't know what is the grading of that coin; it is not graded by TPG !

I will be happy to have your choice and your comments.

Of course, sites like that one given by John1 are welcome.
In any case, I thank you.

Yes, Prncoins, I agree with you.
But, if you give any coin ( not US or Canadian) for grading to a NGC or PCGS company in Europe, they will grade the coins you gave them according to Sheldon scale and not according to European terms.
You cannot find a TGP which will give you a grading which is not according to Sheldon scale.
What is your opinion about that?
thank you for participating to that discussion.

I'm grading the coin UNC, from the photos. I see no wear on the man's nose, and the individual hairs in the helmet crest are separate and distinct, with no wear to join them together. The reverse of the coin shows no wear on the high points, the dragon's wings or scales. There is a lack of bag marks on the coin.

For AU and AU+, the above would all apply, with just a hint of wear on the high points, or bag marks. A couple of face-free bag marks but no wear would garner AU+ from me.

For XF, the wear on the high points will deepen, and be readily visible, with some flattening of the nose, the helmet crest beginning to wear into a unit, the scales flattening and wearing together, etc.

One difficult aspect is to ensure you are being honest with your own grading. If you've convinced yourself that your AU is all UNC, and your XF coins are all AU, then you've done yourself and family a disservice. Grade conservatively, and you're better off in the end.

Having said that, go ahead and dive in to your own grading. You'll also want get a loupe, 3x - 5x in power, for close examination.

Ah, the 1916 Fat Man! (or, more literally translated, the 'big head man').

Be very careful with this coin, as this coin has a lot of fakes around. Make sure all the parameters are correct: diameter, weight and thickness. If all makes sense, they you've hit the jackpot with this one in this condition. I saw one in a similar condition changing ownership for $16.000 recently.

Now when it comes to grading, I'd say grade 0 according to Scandinavian, UNC for European and MS-63 for the American standards if the coin is real. But... only if it's real. If it's fake, then I call it nice but rubbish. Please keep in mind that I'm not a professional at grading.

Some description of how I came to my conclusion:

- the pictures are pretty small, so I'm on the careful side. Also, part of the picture is covered at the bottom, so I can't see the whole coin.
- I do see a small damage at the rim at 11 o'clock at the obverse.
- Also a few small scratches on the surface. Or what looks like scratches to me. But not the kind of scratches one gets from circulation.
- The same goes for the lack of damage on the high points, which is usually an easy indication of circulation. There doesn't seem to be any wear there.
- Luster seems good, but this can also be due to the angle and light on the coin.

Hope this helps.

Anyway, if the weight and dimensions of this coin seem right, then it's absolutely worth getting it graded or at least verified, as it might be worth a small fortune.

If authenticity is a concern, by all means send to a TPG service.