Degree of conservation of coins
The degree of preservation of a coin indicates how much a coin has been worn through circulation (and other handling). Coin collectors prefer coins with a high degree of preservation; H. little or no signs of circulation. Therefore the degree of preservation has a strong influence on the collector's value of a coin.
This article also covers the two manufacturing processes known as “polished plate” and “mirror finish”, which are often viewed as degrees of preservation.
For the degree of preservation there is a scale with defined gradations, which are given in words (uncirculated, very beautiful, poorly preserved etc.) or with abbreviations (unz, ss, ge etc.). Often intermediate levels are used (–ss = almost very beautiful, ss + = somewhat better than very beautiful, ss-vz = very beautiful to excellent).
While there is no central organization in Europe that determines the rating scale, there are two private companies in the USA, the Numismatic Guarantee Corporation (NGC) and the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), which offer the determination of the degree of grading as a service and because of them Meaning have a normative character. Regardless of how strictly the evaluation is defined, it always contains a subjective component, since it cannot be measured but has to be estimated “by eye”.
The designations of the lower degrees of preservation ("very good") are euphemistically shaped so as not to hinder the trade in the corresponding coins.
Out of scale conservation marks
Not only wear and tear, but also other types of damage have an impact on the collectible value of a coin. If the damage is typical of the preservation (e.g. minor scratches on the lower grades), it can be considered part of the preservation grade. Otherwise it must be stated separately (e.g. “excellent with minor damage to the edge” or “with a hole, otherwise very beautiful”).
In no case can the degree of preservation be improved by interventions (cleaning or restoration). Typical restoration measures include plugging a hole or removing a eyelet from coins that were used as pendants. The trace left by an eyelet is called the "handle trace". If the piece was applied to a brooch, one speaks of a brooch mark, which usually manifests itself in the form of two or three defects on the edge of one side of the coin. A setting trace occurs when the coin was held in a pendant, with damage being left behind at several small points on the edge or the edge as a whole being damaged. Such processing must be pointed out in the correct description of the coin.
Sometimes coins are polished up or the patina is removed by cleaning . The sheen this creates is called "cat sheen". Visually, it differs significantly from embossed gloss (cat gloss is dull, spotty and shows light scattering through numerous scratches, in addition, the tread depths and fine grooves are usually still oxidized - see picture) and has a strong depreciation effect. These pieces are referred to as "cleaned". If the cleaning was also associated with profile damage, for example through fine scratches, this is called a "rubbed" piece.
Tables of manufacturing processes and degrees of preservation
Special manufacturing processes
| designation | abbreviation | English / international | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polished plate | PP | Proof (PR, PF) | Not a preservation, but a manufacturing process. These coins are minted from polished blanks (blanks) with specially polished stamps several times and often with higher pressure. The surface (coin base) appears highly reflective and very smooth, while the elevations (motif) appear matt. |
| Mirror finish | sp, spgl. | Proof like (PL) | Also a manufacturing process, a little less complex than the polished plate. Polished stamps are used for embossing, but no polished blanks. The surface (coin base) and elevations (motif) have a reflective sheen, but the surface is not as smooth as in the case of the polished plate manufacturing process.
In contrast to this, the surface (base of the coin) and elevations (motif) are matt in the standard manufacturing process and only have a slight material gloss. |
Degree of conservation
| designation | abbreviation | English / international | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand lifted | hdg, hgh | - | A quality specification that is only used in Austria and Slovakia and can correspond to both mirror and stamp gloss. In any case, the coins are individually packaged immediately after they are minted, so that damage during processing is impossible. |
| Brilliant uncirculated | st, stgl. | Brilliant uncirculated (BU) | A coin with no imperfections visible to the naked eye. In practice, there are almost no coins that actually show this state of preservation, even if they are marketed in this way - also by the issuing offices. Most of the time, coins that are supposed to be uncirculated only have the quality uncirculated, even if they are often of better quality than ordinary uncirculated coins. |
| Uncirculated | unc | Uncirculated (Unc) | Coins from mostly fully automatic production that have never been in circulation. Due to the production process, the coins can have a large number of defects, mostly small scratches (but larger scratches and dents are also possible), as the coins are typically poured out during production (the coins fall from the coin mint into containers). Flat parts of the coin surfaces can also be partially or completely matt, as the stamps wear out over time. |
| Mint fresh | pastor | Mint state (MS). | Synonymous with uncirculated or uncirculated. |
| Almost uncirculated | unc | Almost uncirculated (AU) | A coin that has minor scratches and / or small traces of rubbing on raised areas, which were caused either by very short circulation or by improper handling by collectors. |
| Bank fresh | bfr. | Usually synonymous with “almost uncirculated” or “excellent”. The coin no longer has the state it was in when it came out of the minting machine. New coins that you get at the bank have traces of transport, rolling, fingerprints of the counter clerks or similar traces. | |
| Excellent | EF, EF | Extremely fine (XF, EF) | Such coins were only briefly in circulation. The embossing gloss is only present in recessed areas and has completely disappeared in older coins. There are small scratches and minimal signs of wear on raised areas, but all embossed details are still clearly visible. |
| Extremely fine from a polished plate | vz made of PP, PP touched | Impaired proof | These are coins that were made using the “polished plate” method of manufacture, but which have scratched or grease marks from improper handling. This is a very unpopular condition for many collectors and the coins usually have a much lower value as a result. It is mostly lower than the grade of "uncirculated" and "uncirculated" or often only equal to the nominal value. |
| Very nice | ss | Very fine (VF) | The traces of circulation are clearly visible on these coins. The finer details are partially worn, but the middle details are still clearly visible. |
| Nice | s | Fine (F) | After a long period of circulation, some of the details have disappeared. The coin appears "dull", but all contours and inscriptions are still completely intact. |
| Very good, very well preserved | sg, sge | Very good (VG) | This degree of preservation is rarely used in the German-speaking area, as the preservations below “beautiful” are rarely collected and therefore not carefully differentiated. In international (especially US-American) usage, this grade refers to coins on which a few details are still visible despite heavy wear. |
| Well, well preserved | g, ge | Good (G) | How very good, but no details are visible any more, just the contours. |
| Moderately preserved | - | Fair (FR) | Unusual in the German-speaking area; denotes coins whose contours are only partially visible. |
| Low received | ge | Poor, basal state (PO, BS) | In the German-speaking world, all coins that are worse than "beautiful" are often referred to in this way. With a more precise gradation, this degree of preservation applies to coins which have practically lost their entire design and can hardly be identified. |