Grading Lincoln Cents
This article was written by a club contributor and may or may not represent the overall opinion of the club as a whole. The information is intended to be a guide for grading Lincoln cents and is not intended to replace or contradict the opinion of a professional grader, but rather to offer another visual guide to the contributor's interpetation of current grading standards. IMPORTANT: Most dates within the Lincoln Cent series are generally easy to grade by simply comparing to the images provided. But many dates were struck to less consistent standards than the typically excellent 1909. For example, the 1922 "Plain" cannot be graded by the reverse at all, and many dates in the teens and twenties, especially branch-mint examples, were struck off of worn dies, which can look like wear even on high-grade examples. Furthermore, this guide ignores the effects of cleaning, damage, or other prohibited alterations of a coin's appearance.
About Good : AG-3
- obverse rim may or may not blend with motto, LIB, or last digit of date
- virtually no internal details remain for Lincoln's portrait
- reverse rim blends with some devices, especially E PLURIBUS UNUM
Good : G-4
- obverse and reverse rims both separated from nearby devices
- no details show for Lincoln's portraitexcept perhaps the front of the coat
- very little wheatline details remain and all kernels are flattened
Choice Good : G-6
- obverse and reverse rims both notably complete
- Lincolns ear hole shows
- outlines of a few kernels on right wheatstalk start to show
Very Good : VG-8
- ear hole and ear lobe now show, along with clear eye and mouth
- about half the wheat lines visible and kernels partially outlined
Choice Very Good : VG-10
- bold rims are strong on both sides
- upper right wheat lines fully separated but upper left lines merge a little
- all lettering clearly readable with only faint wear, such as top of ONE
Fine : F-12
- all lettering bold and showing no weakness
- many curls in hair are partially outlined
- both wheatstalks have generally separated, complete lines
- slight weakness at upper left wheatstalk
Choice Fine : F-15
- curls becoming more boldly outlined
- no weakness in lines of wheatstalks and nearly all kernels fully outlined
Very Fine : VF-20
- all lettering crisp and sharp, showing no weakness
- Lincoln's cheekbone and lower beard clearly higher relief than surrounding detail
- every kernel within both wheatstalks completely outlined, and not merged with any wheat lines
Very Fine : VF-25
- strongly detailed bowtie and most curls showing
- bold, sharp wheatlines except far edge of right wheatstalk merging a little
- moderate flattening of all wheat kernels
Choice Very Fine : VF-30
- definite light wear behind temple, on ear, cheekbone, lower beard and lapel
- lines in wheatstalk sharp and bold but slight wear on kernels on both stalks
Gem Very Fine : VF-35
- all hair details show but ear shows flattening around edge
- right wheat kernels almost imperceptibly flattened
Extremely Fine : EF-40
- all hair details show but ear shows flattening around edge
- definite greyish wear areas on cheekbone, lower jaw, lapel and shoulder
- right wheat kernels almost imperceptibly flattened
- protected areas directly against rim may retain a hint of luster
Choice Extremely Fine : EF-45
- for some coins, trace luster may remain in protected areas against the rims
- bowtie and descending folds plain, with minimal rub on the shoulder, cheek and lower jaw
- all kernels plainly delineated and even retain internal detailing
About Uncirculated : AU-50
- luster definitely persists close to the rims and adjacent to some devices
- all hair details show boldly but lack some sharpness
- each individual kernel exhibits internal details and a definite bisecting depression within each
About Uncirculated : AU-53
- some mint luster should definitely be present at this grade level
- light wear only on upper cheek, lower jaw and lapel
- very little actual wear shows mainly as light friction in broad field areas
Choice About Uncirculated : AU-55
- significant luster will show, and may be joined by reddish-tan undertone for many examples
- scant rub looks more like darker hue than actual wear on cheekbone, lower beard, shoulder and lapel
- no wear on wheat lines or kernels, and showing faint wear in the fields - a light fingerprint can somteimes be inferred as evidence of circulation
Gem About Uncirculated : AU-58
- both sides will display essentially complete flowline luster through the fields
- while not required, significant mint red may still be visible in well-protected areas
- no real wear visible but areas of friction often show as "off color", sometimes revealed as light fingerprints
- mint-state sharpness but very faint friction in the fields
Mint State : MS-60
- both sides must display complete flowline luster through the fields with no breaks
- while not required, significant mint red may be visible
- there must be no friction or wear visible, with consistent texture and color over highpoint areas
- full sharpness as-struck, although many issues may have weak detail due to aged dies
- ironically, a low mint-state 60 example will frequently be less attractive than one graded only AU-58
