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Instructions
Determine whether your silver coin is a circulated or uncirculated piece by inspecting it through a magnifying glass. Uncirculated coins will have little to no wear; circulated silver coins, however, will have "softened" images, surface scratches and uneven surfaces. Silverware and silver antiques can also be assessed by looking at surface wear.
Use the Numismatics Association Grading Scale to give you a rough idea of your silver coin's condition. There are eight basic categories for the coin to fall into: 1. About Uncirculated; 2. Extremely Fine; 3. Very Fine; 4. Fine; 5. Very Good; 6. Good; 7. About Good; and 8. Basil State.
Specify a silver coin as "About Uncirculated" or "AU" when the coin appears to be uncirculated due to its pristine condition. If you look closely, there may be very small signs of wear. These coins are graded AU-50 to AU-59 (on a scale of 1 to 70 with 70 being the top grade).
Define the coin as "Extremely Fine" or "EF" or "EX" if the silver coin has lost its original sheen or luster and has fine wear across its surface. The image and detail on the coin should still be very clear. These silver coins are graded EF-40 to EF-45.
Label a coin as "Very Fine" or "VF" when the silver exhibits a medium amount of wear. Consider this the upper-middle end of the grading scale. The coin's surface image may appear soft, having lost some of its original minted detail.
Describe your silver coin as "Fine" or "F" if the original image and writing are still complete but it shows general wear across the surface. These coins are labeled from F-12 to F-15.
Call the coin "Very Good" or "VG" if it's difficult to make out the original design and there's a large amount of general wear. The outlines of the images should still be visible, even if they've faded. These coins are categorized from VG-8 to VG-10.
Classify your coins as "Good" or "G" when the original design is pretty much missing but the lettering is legible. The rim of the coin may be intact or worn in the "Good" silver-coin-grading category. These coins are classified as G-4 to G-6.
Conclude that your coin is "About Good" or "AG" if the actual coin is intact but the majority of the design has worn away. These coins are classified simply as AG-3.
Categorize a very rough coin as "Basil State" or "PO" (poor) when the coin is so worn away it's impossible to tell where it came from or its age. These coins are at the very bottom of the grading scale and labeled zero.
Check your at-home grading of silver with a local collector's organization or fellow collector to see if you're in the ball park. Coin grading is very much based on individual perception so the goal should be to fit in with your region's grading of similar coins.