Coins from antiquity to today, circulating and commemorative, single and in sets.
Coin collecting rewards patience and good records. Two coins of the same type can differ ten times
in value because of their grade, their variety or their provenance - and all three are only known if
they were written down when the coin entered the collection.
Getting Started
Most collections start with a theme: one country’s coins by year, the coins of an emperor, a
denomination across centuries, or coins with animals on them. A theme keeps purchases focused and
makes gaps visible. Decide early whether you collect circulated coins (affordable, plentiful) or
high grades (rarer, and worth having certified).
ordicio splits coins the way specialists describe them, because the records differ:
Ancient coins were struck by hand from engraved dies, so every piece is a
little different. They are cited by ruler and reference number, and graded with strike and surface.
Modern coins are machine-struck since about 1700. Year, mint mark, mintage
and variety tell them apart.
What to Record
Record the coin as a numismatist would cite it, so another collector can find the exact type:
Issuer and denomination: who issued it and its face value (Kingdom of France, 5 Francs).
Date and mint: the date as shown on the coin, and the mint or mint mark.
Catalogue numbers: always with the catalogue named - KM or Numista for world coins, RIC, RRC or
RPC for Roman coins.
Physical data: metal, weight and diameter. Weight is the quickest check against a fake or a
cleaned, worn piece.
Obverse and reverse: the design and the legend as you read them.
Provenance: where and when you bought it, the price, and earlier owners or auction lots. A
documented old provenance adds value, and for ancient coins it is increasingly a legal question.
Condition and Grading
World-wide, coins are graded on the Sheldon scale from 1 (Poor) to 70 (perfect), as used by PCGS and
NGC: Good (G-4), Fine (F-12), Very Fine (VF-20 to 35), Extremely Fine (EF/XF-40 to 45), About
Uncirculated (AU-50 to 58) and Mint State (MS-60 to 70); proofs are graded PR or PF. European dealers
use the same steps with local terms, such as s, ss, vz and st in German. Ancient coins get an
adjectival grade plus strike and surface scores from 1 to 5.
Grade honestly and from the coin itself, under a single light source. If a coin has been certified,
record the grading service and the certification number: the number lets anyone verify the holder.
Care and Storage
Hold coins by the edge, never clean them (cleaning destroys the surface and most of the value) and
keep them in inert holders - PVC-free flips, capsules or trays. Avoid wooden cabinets that give off
acids, and keep humidity low and steady.
Mistakes to Avoid
Buying a “rare date” without checking the mint mark and variety that make it rare.
Recording a grade without saying whose grade it is (yours, the seller’s or a grading service’s).
Throwing away old envelopes, tickets and dealer labels: they are the coin’s provenance.
The 32 fields worth recording for coins, grouped as in the
ordicio app.
Identification
Issuer Text
State, ruler, city or bank that issued the piece, e.g. Roman Empire, Kingdom of France, Free City of Hamburg, Deutsche Bundesbank.
Denomination Text
Face value and unit, e.g. 2 Euro, Denarius, Thaler, 10 Mark.
Mint Text
Mint or place of striking, e.g. Philadelphia, Paris, Rome, Antioch.
Catalogue references Text
Catalogue numbers with the catalogue named; coins KM, Numista N, Schoen, Jaeger (J.), ancient RIC, RRC, RPC, Sear (SG), SNG; banknotes Pick, Rosenberg, Friedberg.
Reference link Link
Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).
Design
What the two sides show.
Obverse Text
Front (head) side, design and legend as read, e.g. bust of Trajan right; IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC.
Reverse Text
Back side, design and legend as read.
Physical
Metal Choice, or your own
Main metal or alloy.
17 choices
Gold
Silver
Billon
Electrum
Platinum
Palladium
Copper
Bronze
Brass
Nickel
Copper-nickel
Nickel-brass
Aluminium
Aluminium-bronze
Zinc
Iron / steel
Bimetallic
Fineness Text
Precious metal content as given, e.g. 0.900, 925/1000, 22 carat.
Weight (g) Number
Weight of the object (without stand, frame or holder unless noted).
Diameter (mm) Number
Diameter at the widest point.
Thickness (mm) Number
Thickness at the rim.
Shape Choice, or your own
Outline of the flan.
Round
Polygonal
Scalloped
Square
Holed
Irregular (hammered / cut)
Edge Choice, or your own
Treatment of the edge.
Plain
Reeded
Lettered
Decorated
Security edge
Interrupted reeding
Die axis Choice, or your own
Orientation of the reverse to the obverse when turned on the vertical axis; for another alignment enter its clock hour, e.g. 3 o'clock.
Coin alignment (6 o'clock)
Medal alignment (12 o'clock)
Condition
Grade Choice
Condition by wear on the Sheldon scale, with the German abbreviation; uncirculated and proof grades are refined by the numeric grade.
11 choices
Poor (P-1)
Fair (FR-2)
About good (AG-3)
Good (G-4 to G-6; ge)
Very good (VG-8 to VG-10; s-)
Fine (F-12 to F-15; s)
Very fine (VF-20 to VF-35; ss)
Extremely fine (EF-40 to EF-45; vz)
About uncirculated (AU-50 to AU-58; vz-st)
Uncirculated (MS-60 to MS-70; st)
Proof (PR-60 to PR-70; PP)
Numeric grade Whole number, 1 to 70
Sheldon number 1 to 70 from a grading service or own estimate, e.g. 63 for MS-63.
Grading service Choice, or your own
Third-party grading service whose holder or certificate the piece has.
PCGS
NGC
ANACS
ICG
PMG
PCGS Banknote
Not certified
Certification number Text
Number on the grading holder (slab) or authentication certificate, to look it up in the service's database.
Designations Text
Additions to the grade, e.g. RD/RB/BN for copper colour, Full Bands, Deep Cameo, DMPL, EPQ, Star; details grades such as cleaned or holed.
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Acquisition
How and when the object came into the collection.
Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
Purchase
Auction
Gift
Inheritance
Exchange / trade
Self-collected / found
Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).
Value
Estimated and insured value.
Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
Own estimate
Recent sales / auction results
Dealer offer
Catalogue value
Professional appraisal
Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.
Collection record
Your own inventory data.
Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.
Standards and References
The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:
Sheldon 70-point grading scale as used by PCGS, NGC (coins) and PMG, PCGS Banknote (paper money)
NGC Ancients grading (adjectival grade with strike and surface on a 5-point scale)
Standard Catalog of World Coins (Krause, KM numbers), Numista; RIC, RRC (Crawford), RPC, Sear, SNG for ancient coins
Standard Catalog of World Paper Money (Pick numbers), Rosenberg (Germany), Friedberg (USA)
Object ID (obverse/reverse description as inscriptions and markings)
Updated October 24, 2026
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