Learning To Grade Lincoln Cents - Require Advice & Pointers

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Author	Replies: 2 / Views: 2,203
D Pillar of the Community Canada 899 Posts	Posted 10/22/2009 01:40 am Some day I would like to get a nice red lincoln red cent but first I realize that I am going to have to learn the proper way to grade these. I found a website that has some information but I feel that it does not cover certain aspects such as where are the key places to look, what to look for and any others factors that I should know about are not explained in full detail that I could make an informed grading decision. Beside color is there a sure proof way to tell if a coin is truly red or picture enhanced I could just buy a graded coin but knowledge is power and I would rather buy the coin from my own grade opinion and not the holder. Any and all pointers is appreciated..... Thanks I have attached a picture to be used as a reference.. Report this Post to the Staff

BH1964 Bedrock of the Community United States 10982 Posts	Posted 10/22/2009 02:59 am I could write a book on grading Lincoln cents but must admit that I'm only an average grader. There are far too many things to note in one post but the biggest thing I've learned is that MANY early Lincolns (pre-1934) were softly struck and this especially true for coins coming out of Denver and San Fran. There are Mint State Lincolns out there with only VF details because the dies were so badly worn. This is not the norm but you get the idea. By all means buy a copy of "The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States coins. It will pay for itself 10 times over (it's $20) and has good pictures and descriptions of ALL U.S. coins. Go to coin shops/shows and look at grades on slabbed coins and always remember strike quality and eye appeal mean a TON! Good Luck! ANA #R3154474 Report this Post to the Staff
BadThad Bedrock of the Community United States 19963 Posts	Posted 10/22/2009 08:14 am Consider Lincoln grading two separate things: 1) Circulated grading 2) Mint state grading First master your grading of circulated coins. For Lincolns it's pretty easy. If you search though this forum, you can find some posts by Metalman where we discuss Good to EF grading of Lincolns in detail.....I think it went up to EF, I forget. Once you understand how to quickly grade circulated Lincolns, then move to mint state grading which is much more difficult. As Brad stated, an entire book could be written on the subject. After I finish my verdigris book I might write a mini-ebook on this topic. Lincoln Cent Lover! VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/ Report this Post to the Staff
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