Over the years various systems of grading coins have been developed by antique coin specialists. ①In America a numerical system based on a scale of 1 to 70 has been introduced, in which 1 is the lowest grade possible and 70 is perfect. ②The European grades, verbal descriptions, correspond roughly to every ten of the American grades. ③Coins reflect both a country’s history and its aspirations, and it is natural that collections based on place of origin should develop. ④Thus, the European grade ‘good’ corresponds to 20 of the American system, ‘fine’ to 30, ‘very fine’ to 40, ‘extremely fine’ to 50, and ‘almost perfect’ to 60. ⑤Until recently, numerical grading has been applied only to American coins, but the intention is that eventually these numbers will be used for all types of coins from all over the world.