The Sheldon Scale is the primary system in use for determining the grade of a coin. The possible grades range from Poor-1 to Mint State-70 (usually expressed as MS-70). Every possible number in between is theoretically available for describing a coin's state of preservation, but in practice only certain points of the scale are used (such as EF-45, but not EF-47.) Learn more about the Sheldon Scale for grading coins.
One of the most common questions I get asked is about two-headed coins. Someone finds the coin in circulation, so they're sure it has to be genuine! They look at the edge, and don't see a seam, indicating that the coin was two "heads" halves that have been joined together. If the two-headed coin is a fake, it has to have this seam, right?
Well, no... In fact, most two-headed coins are very cleverly put together because they are intended to be examined by spectators during a magician's show or during some other display of clever coin manipulation (such as tossing a coin to see who buys the drinks.) One thing all two-headed U.S. coins have in common is that they did not come from the U.S. Mint this way!
Learn about how to detect the joined halves of two-headed coins, so you can authenticate these cleverly deceptive marvels for yourself.
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