QUADRIGA Ancients
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Those familiar with the grading of United States and modern world coins will notice that ancients are graded somewhat differently, although the terminology is similar. The standard grades most collectors and dealers use for ancients are, from highest to lowest state of preservation:

To view .gif images of these different grades of preservation, click on the grade in the list above. To see each grade along with a full explanation of that grade, click here.

Please remember that coin grading is subjective, and different individuals will grade ancient coins differently. The following images and explanations for each grade (Extremely Fine , Very Fine , Fine , Very Good , Good ) are meant to act as guidelines only. Letter grades are often modified to give a clearer idea about an individual coin. For example, the grade of Fine (F) can be modified by a minus sign (F-), which means the coin is not quite Fine, but better than Very Good, an "about" (aF), which means the coin just barely misses being a Fine, or a plus sign (F+), which means the coin is better than the average Fine, but not quite a Very Fine. Try not to be confused by these designations; they are only intended to avoid having individual coins locked into rigid grading categories, when a coin may indeed fall between two grades.

Another thing to remember is that due to wide variations in minting techniques from mint to mint, as well as within each mint, ancients do not have the mass-produced "perfection" (read: blah, how dull) that modern coins generally have. Instead, you will find that every ancient coin has its own personality, based on numerous factors. Some key factors are: how well the coin was centered on the metal flan (remember, all ancients were minted by hand), weakness or sharpness of strike, patina (color), surface or environmental damage, how smooth or ragged the edges are, porosity (holes in the metal), and so forth.

A gentleman by the name of Douglas Smith has put together one of the most excellent and comprehensive web pages on grading ancient coins, the images on which are dazzling, to say the least. If you wish to return to this page after checking out Doug's grading site , you can click the "Back" button on your browser until you return here, or, better yet, bookmark this site so that you can return faster. You might also want to bookmark Doug's index page (click to go there); his entire site is a must-see for anyone interested in ancients.

What follows is a visual tour through the general "letter grade" categories for ancients.

PLEASE NOTE: The grades given here are named according to the American system.  In Great Britain, the coin shown as "Very Good" here would be called "Fair" and the coin shown as "Good" would be called "Poor".  The grades are the same; only the terminology is different.

Extremely Fine (EF or XF)

An Extremely Fine ancient coin will have sharp details, and will only display light wear on the highest points of the coin. There may be luster evident, especially in protected areas, such as between letters in the inscriptions. Very few ancients are found in Extremely Fine condition.

Shown: AE follis of Constantine the Great, 307-337 AD. Top

 

Very Fine (VF)

An ancient coin in Very Fine condition should have a full inscription, and all devices will be only moderately worn. A VF will usually have the most wear on the high points - hairlines cheekbones, dress folds, and headgear (if present). Most references on Roman coins indicate VF condition as the standard collectible grade, since Roman coins in VF are much more affordable than EFs, and much nicer looking than Fines.

 Shown: AE As of Tiberius, 14-37 AD. Top

Fine (F)

An ancient coin in Fine condition should have a full or almost full inscription; some letters may be weak. Hairlines and other smaller details, such as headgear, dress folds, and facial features, will show significant flatness, although the major devices on the coin will be fully outlined. The coin shown here technically grades a Fine minus.

Shown: AE As of Caligula, 37-41 AD. Top

 

 

Very Good (VG)

An ancient coin in Very Good condition will only have a partial inscription, and the letters which are visible may be weak. There should be enough detail on the coin to identify the main devices, denomination, and the reverse type (does not apply to split grades -- e.g. VG+/Fair -- where the obverse is a VG+ and the reverse a smooth Fair). Major details in the head, such as eyes, ears, nose, and mouth should be clear enough to show some details.

 Shown: AE as of Vespasian, 69-79 AD. Top

 

Good (G)

Ancient coins in Good condition are, as you can see here, not so good-looking. What is "good" about a Good is that the coin can be identified by ruler and denomination. This is an AE as of Tiberius. There are three weak, partial letters visible in the inscription; the portrait is the only clue we really have. Fortunately, Roman coin portraits from 50 BC until 225 AD or so are in a fine enough artistic style to allow an experienced collector to identify a coin in this condition merely by the outline of the ruler's head.

 Shown: AE as of Tiberius, 14-37 AD. Top

Just imagine one grade, then two grades below the last one shown. To display images of coins in such low grade would serve no real purpose; just imagine a slick round piece of metal with a faint outline of some shape which might be a nose, maybe, or perhaps an ear, or maybe it's just a ding in the metal.  I've seen coins in these grades.  Trust me; they're not attractive.

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