CGS UK - Graded

The purpose of the CGS UK grading system is to offer and make available to the general market for English Milled Coinage an independent assessment of grade, authenticity and attribution (type or variety). The main reason for the creation of the service is to help the collector particularly new collectors to enter the market place with a good degree of the warranty and protection CGS UK encapsulated coins give. The project was two years in the making involving many experts both dealers and collectors, as well as numismatic journalists.

Surprisingly there is no universally accepted bench mark standards for the grading of English coins, by this we mean there is no universally recognized independent publication giving bench marks for the grading of English coins. The broad terms in use (see below) Very Good, Fine, Very Fine, Extremely Fine, and Uncirculated although broadly consistent in the main body of the professional UK dealer and bigger auction houses, are subject to the individual “subjective” opinion of the grader at the time based on his experiences and paradigms. To our knowledge no one refers to any accepted universal guide (as none exists) or retains sets of coins to refer to for consistencies sake. How then has grading been done? Basically the grader looked at a coin and decided based on his experience and memory what grade it is, if he is not sure then a plethora of middle grade attachments and riders are introduced such as about Uncirculated, near to Very Fine, approaching EF, better than Fine, Good Very Fine, BU, Gem, Choice we could go on it seems almost endlessly. The CGS UK system arrives at a numeric grade between 1 and 100 with 100 being absolute perfection. It is not our intention to replace the traditional grading terminology (listed below) but it can easily be argued that once a numerical grade is attached the need for some additional narrative description is superfluous. However CGS UK numerical system will broadly translate as follows

Grading Chart from 2013

CGS Grading System

Observed comparisons across grades of other systems 
Based on observations after CGS had graded 25,000 coins - March 2013

 Grading Chart for coins graded between 2006 - 2013

Our intention has not been to translate traditional grades into numbers so the table is a guide however the middle point of each range will coincide with our benchmark standards as follows

Coins above 80 fall into our uncirculated range, they may have bag marks, cabinet friction or toning or other signs of slight mishandling whilst in collections evidence of which will lower their grade, but essentially we have assessed them as having no wear consistent with being in circulation. Anything above 82 will be exceptionally nice what dealers often term gem or choice and consequently scarce and desirable.

The CGS UK system starts by asking whether the coin is genuine (it may be compared to our extensive library of known forgery types, and weighed) in some cases it may be sent to consultant experts and specialists depending on the coin type. In essence we convince our selves as much as is possible we are dealing with the genuine item. We have to as we offer to pay the full market value to the submitter of any coin we encapsulate which subsequently is proved not to be genuine. We then assess if the coin has been enhanced by artificial toning, tooled, polished, plugged, or whizzed. Coins not passing these two tests are returned to the submitter and do not find their way into CGS UK holders.