PROOF STRIKES: Specially struck collectors editions of normally circulating coinage. The dies are specially polished to give the coins a mirrored finish. These coins are meant for the collector and are not intended to circulate or be used as money.
BUSINESS STRIKES: Coins that are intended to be released into circulation.
UNCIRCULATED: Coins that have never been used as money and exhibit no signs of visible wear. They are called UNC for short or Brilliant UNC.
CIRCULATED: Coins that have been used as money. They will exhibit varying degrees of visible wear.
Coin Grades
CERTIFIED: A coin that has been authenticated, graded, and encapsulated by an independent grading service. There are two main grading services. PCGS, which stands for Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Encapsulation is the certification of an official grading service. A graded coin holds a great deal of information. A description of the coin will be on the label. The grade the coin received on the 70-point coin grading scale will also be on the label, along with a certificate number which is unique to each coin.
UNCERTIFIED: A coin that has been graded by the seller and not encapsulated in a certified case. This type of coin is also known as "RAW".
