Standards
The Xene grades,
defined in full.
What follows are the descriptive criteria behind every numeric grade we award. They have evolved only at the margins since 2014, and are reviewed annually by an external panel of three trade specialists who hold no affiliation with the firm.
COINS
Coins — the Sheldon scale
Items are awarded a single numeric grade from 1 to 70, paired with the descriptive bracket. Strike, lustre and eye-appeal are noted separately on the certificate but do not alter the numeric grade.
| Grade | Designation | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | Perfect Uncirculated | Flawless under 5× magnification. As struck. No contact marks of any kind. |
| 68–69 | Superb Gem Uncirculated | Virtually flawless. Trace contact only on the highest points. |
| 65–67 | Gem Uncirculated | Sharp strike, full lustre, minimal contact in protected fields. |
| 63–64 | Choice Uncirculated | Above-average strike and surfaces; minor marks acceptable. |
| 60–62 | Uncirculated | Mint state but with noticeable bagmarks or weak strike. |
| AU 50–58 | About Uncirculated | Trace wear on the highest points only; most original mint lustre remains. |
| XF 40–45 | Extremely Fine | Light wear on the high points; full detail. |
| VF 20–35 | Very Fine | Moderate wear; major detail clear, finer detail softened. |
| F 12–15 | Fine | Considerable wear; main features clear. |
| VG 8–10 | Very Good | Heavy wear; design and legends complete but soft. |
| G 4–6 | Good | Major design visible; legends partial. |
BANKNOTES
Bank notes
We use the 70-point notaphilic scale, with original-gum, embossing and pressing flags recorded distinctly on the certificate.
| Grade | Designation | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | Gem Uncirculated | Perfectly centred, full sharp corners, original embossing, no handling whatsoever. |
| 67–68 | Superb Gem | Near-perfect centring; faintest possible handling under intense light. |
| 65–66 | Gem | Sharp corners, bold colour, well centred. |
| 63–64 | Choice Uncirculated | Original; minor centring shifts permissible. |
| 60–62 | Uncirculated | No folds; minor handling marks or pinholes acceptable. |
| 55–58 | About Uncirculated | Trace of a centre fold only, or one corner bend. |
| 45–53 | Extremely Fine | Light folds; bright paper, full corners. |
| 35–40 | Very Fine | Several folds; paper still crisp, no tears. |
| 20–30 | Fine | Heavy circulation; minor pinholes or edge nicks. |
| 10–15 | Very Good | Soft from handling; small tears acceptable. |
| 4–8 | Good / Fair | Heavily worn; the lowest grades we will encapsulate. |
CARDS
Trading cards
The 1–10 scale, in 0.5 increments. Four sub-grades (centring, corners, edges, surface) are recorded on the certificate.
| Grade | Designation | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Pristine | Four perfect corners, perfect centring (50/50), perfect surface, perfect edges under 10×. |
| 9.5 | Gem Mint | Near perfect; one minor flaw permissible. |
| 9 | Mint | Sharp corners; centring 60/40 or better; minor print specks. |
| 8.5 | Near Mint–Mint+ | Trace surface wear; centring 65/35 or better. |
| 8 | Near Mint–Mint | Slight fuzz on one or two corners; minor whitening on edges. |
| 7 | Near Mint | Light corner wear; minor surface marks. |
| 6 | Excellent–Mint | Visible corner wear; light creasing acceptable. |
| 5 | Excellent | Rounded corners; light surface scratches. |
| 4 | Very Good–Excellent | Soft corners; visible wear; no major creases. |
| 3 | Very Good | Significant wear; minor creasing. |
| 2 | Good | Major wear; one major crease or tear acceptable. |
| 1 | Poor / Fair | Survivor grade; structurally complete. |
STAMPS
Stamps
The 100-point philatelic scale, with gum and hinge state noted separately.
| Grade | Designation | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 98–100 | Superb | Mathematically perfect centring; full original gum, never hinged. |
| 95–97 | XF Superb | Wide, balanced margins; full original gum. |
| 90–94 | Extremely Fine | Well-centred; minor gum disturbance acceptable. |
| 85–89 | Very Fine–XF | Above-average centring; original gum, possibly lightly hinged. |
| 80–84 | Very Fine | Well-centred for the issue; clean. |
| 75–79 | Fine–Very Fine | Slightly off-centre; otherwise sound. |
| 70–74 | Fine | Visibly off-centre; design clear of perforations. |
| 60–65 | Very Good | Design touches one perforation; minor faults acceptable. |
BOOKS
Rare books — the IOBA scale, extended.
Books are not encapsulated. Each volume is graded on the descriptive IOBA scale, with conservation notes appended. The certificate accompanies the volume in a museum-grade clamshell.
As New
Indistinguishable from a freshly published copy. Dust jacket present and pristine if originally issued with one.
Fine
Approaches the condition of As New, with a few minor signs of handling. No defects.
Near Fine
Showing slight signs of wear; no defects. Dust jacket may have light shelf-wear.
Very Good
Some signs of wear but no significant defects. All pages present and unmarked.
Good
Average used book, complete and intact. Some marks or wear acceptable.
Fair
Worn but complete. May lack endpapers or have other minor defects.
Poor
Heavily worn. Reading copy only. Often the only surviving form of a great rarity.
Ex-Library
Recorded separately, with notes on stamps, pockets and other library marks.
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