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Message:: [QUOTE="kanga, post: 801319, member: 9270"]The US started striking coins just slightly over 200 years ago.There are some state coins that go back over 350 years but basically minting in the US is relatively recent. Most Americans that have been collecting for 10 or more years are aware that the US grading standards are quite different than the rest of the world.It just a matter of getting the appropriate guide to be able to deal with grading US coins.I'm familiar with the PCGS book you mentioned but most US collectors use one of these two books:- Official A.N.A. grading Standards for United States Coins [my preference]- Photograde It's not unusual for the oldest US coins (from the 1790's) to be bought, sold or traded without the benefit of one of a grading company holder (slab).But that takes a LOT of study and experience to ensure you are actually getting what you think you are getting.Most collectors don't have or don't want to spend the time gaining that knowledge. I'll leave it to the colonial coins experts to define how they are graded.[/QUOTE]