Every grade tier demands different buying behavior. Match your bid discipline to the tier — and never pay a higher tier’s price for a lower tier’s coin.
How the tiers behave
- G to F — filler, melt-adjacent. Flat price curve. Do not overthink it — get the melt math right and move on.
- VF to XF — where premiums start. This is where wear-point reading pays for itself.
- AU — the value sweet spot, and the most misgraded tier online. Verify every AU claim like it is guilty until proven innocent.
- MS — prices steepen brutally. Small differences in marks and luster mean large differences in money.
The margin equation
Realistic value at your grade − selling costs − required margin = your max bid. One grade of overpayment at the AU/MS boundary can erase the entire margin — so grade conservatively and bid off the conservative grade.
A photograph can inform a decision, but it cannot authenticate or certify a coin.