Certified is 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.

Very Good (VG)
VG-8 and VG-10 are the only grades in this category. These coins have quite a bit of wear. The main design will still be clear, but the detail will be gone. A coin must have a full rim (raised edge of the coin) in order to qualify for this grade.

Fine (F)
There are only two grades for Fine, F-12 and F-15. A lot of the more intricate details of a fine coin are lost due to wear, but the main design is still very clear.

Very Fine (VF)
There are four grades for this category. VF-20, VF-25, VF-30 and VF-35. These are still very attractive coins, but they have light to medium wear.

Extremely Fine (XF)
Two scores are used for coins in this class. XF-40 and XF-45. XF coins are still very nice looking and are only slightly worn on the highest points, but the wear on an XF coin will be easier to spot than the wear on an AU coin.

About Uncirculated (AU)
Only four scores are used for coins of this class. 50, 53, 55 or 58, and all have the prefix of AU which stands for About Uncirculated. These are still very high quality coins, but they do have very slight wear on some of the highest points of the coin.

Mint State (Uncirculated)
A coin graded 60 or higher would be considered uncirculated. This would mean the coin has never been used as currency. Coin grades in this range have a prefix of MS which stands for Mint State. These coins are still in the original state they were in when they left the mint. MS-60, MS-63, MS-65 (Gem UNC), MS-70.