The price of a collectible coin is a very complex number, depending on many technical things and market conditions, showing how the condition and its rarity are the most important parts — and all this should be taken into account by your online coin values checker.
The level of safety is the most important factor, greatly changing the price, making a coin in low condition much cheaper than a similar coin in perfect condition, sometimes by a great amount.
Sheldon Scale
Experts check the coin’s condition using a standard number scale, for example, the Sheldon Scale from 1 to 70, giving the coin a clear quality score.
Grade Level | Letter Code | Simple Description |
Low Grade | P-1 to G-4 | The coin is very old, showing heavy wear and tear, but the date is still visible |
Middle Grade | VF-20 to XF-40 | The coin looks good, having only light wear on high places, showing most small details |
High Grade | MS-60 to MS-70 | The coin has never been used, still having its full shine, reaching the highest price |
Special Grade | PR/PF | A special coin made for collectors, having a mirror background and a dull design |
For coins that have not been used, three important technical things decide the value, keeping the price high only when these are perfect.
Luster: This is the coin's original shine, needing to be equal and bright everywhere, losing its high grade if it has been rubbed or hurt.
Strike: This shows how well the metal filled the stamp’s deepest parts, resulting in a lower grade and lower value if the details are not full or sharp.
Surface: The surface must be clean, showing no scratches or spots, needing to be smooth and perfect, giving a lower grade if it has small lines or big marks from hitting other coins.
Damages Making the Value Fall: Any human-made change to the coin’s structure or surface causes a quick drop in price, sometimes falling to only the price of the metal, making the coin less valuable for collectors.
Cleaning: Taking away the natural color or dirt using hard chemicals or tools, leaving small scratches and changing the metal’s look forever.
Tooling: Trying to fix worn-out details by cutting the coin again, making the coin a fake of its condition.
Deep Damages: Any deep cuts, dents, or marks from fixing or heating, making the coin look bad.
Rarity and the Number of Coins Made
Rarity is known by the number of coins the mint made and the number of coins still safe today, meaning the coin is much rarer if fewer of them still exist in good condition.
The official number of coins made is the first sign of rarity, generally making the coin more valuable when this number is low.
The real rarity is not just the number made but the number of pieces still existing today, especially in the best conditions, greatly affecting the market price.
Things Making the Number Fall: Many coins were melted down, or lost, or became very worn from long use, making fewer safe coins.
Population Reports: These reports from big grading companies show how many coins are officially checked and safe for each grade, proving a very high price for coins that are rare in a high grade like MS-67.
Rarity can also come from small changes inside a large run of coins, making one small type very rare because the change was fixed quickly by the mint.
Cultural Importance
The value increases a lot if the coin is linked to important historical moments or famous people, making the coin part of a very important story.
The story of who owned the coin is important, increasing the coin’s value a lot if a famous collector or a big auction sold it before, confirming its real history and importance.
Coins made for big national or world events, like anniversaries or wars, usually have a very high value, making them worth much more than their simple metal value.
Error Coins
Coins with mistakes, which were still let out by the mint because of a machine error, are a special kind of rare coin, often costing much more than the perfect coins.
Types of Errors
Blank Errors: Using a wrong metal piece for the coin, or the metal piece having cracks before stamping.
Stamp Errors: Mistakes on the tool that makes the coin, like a doubled design or a crack on the tool, showing a raised line on the final coin.
Stamping Errors: The coin being hit badly, making the picture not center or some parts missing.
The price of an error coin depends on how big and clear the mistake is, making the price higher when the mistake is very easy to see and unique for that coin series.
Metal Price
For some coins, the value is simply the price of the metal like gold or silver, depending on the current market price and the coin's weight.
The price of these coins mostly follows the market price of the metal, needing a small extra payment for making the coin.
The metal price is just the lowest price the coin can have, having an extra value added because of its rarity and condition, seen as the numismatic premium.
Market Want and Easy Selling
This is a market feeling, still strongly changing the final selling price, showing how many people want the coin.
Coins from very well-known and finished series are always wanted, having a high and stable demand in the market.
This is how quickly you can sell the coin for its full market price, making coins checked by big grading companies like PCGS or NGC the easiest to sell.
Rules for Touching Coins
Wrongly touching the coin is the main reason coins are damaged after they leave the mint, needing great care.
It is strictly forbidden to touch the coin’s flat surfaces with fingers, because the skin's natural oils and salts react with the metal, causing spots that ruin the surface and the shine forever.
Hold the coins only by the edge, using special soft tweezers or clean soft gloves, avoiding direct contact with the surface.
Always work with coins on a clean, soft and dry surface, using a special mat or soft cloth to avoid accidental scratches on a hard table.
The Better Place
Hard plastic boxes used by grading companies, giving the best safety, sealing the coin in safe plastic, and giving it an official quality grade.
Strong plastic boxes that close tightly, giving good protection and keeping the coin safe from the air.
Cardboard frames with a clear window, needing care when closing them to avoid staples hitting the coin.
Storage Place and Environment
Outside factors like water in the air, heat, light, and the air quality must be controlled, stopping the metal from changing color or getting rust.
Humidity
The best level of water in the air is 40% to 55%, making rust happen fast on copper coins if the air is too wet like over 60%.
Use small bags of silica gel in the safe or box to take out extra water, needing to be replaced from time to time.
Heat
Keep the coins at a stable room temperature, avoiding quick changes in heat, which can hurt the coin inside the holder.
Never store coins in wet basements or hot attics, needing a safe place away from heating machines.
Light and UV Rays
Coins must be kept in a dark place like a safe, because direct sun or strong light can make chemical changes happen faster.
Cleaning and Fixing
The main rule for coins is: never clean the coin, unless a professional is stopping serious active rust, needing expert help.
Any cleaning, except simple rinsing, takes away the natural color layer and the original shine, removing the natural protective layer and the sign of being real.
Lower Grade: The coin gets an "Cleaned" grade, immediately making it less valuable than a coin with its natural color, showing small scratches that hurt the shine.
Long-Term Safety and Checking
Effective protection also includes protection against theft and keeping a clear list of everything in the collection, which requires good organization.
Make a detailed list indicating the coin's name, year of issue, quality, purchase price, and storage location, including good photos.
Review the coins every 6-12 months, checking for any new traces of rust or problems with the plastic holders.