ANA unveils new coin grading game

The American Numismatic Association (ANA) has unveiled a new coin grading game on its website.

The game, which is available to members as well as non-members, focuses on teaching the skill of grading—a skill that requires the proper tools, the relevant knowledge “and lots and lots of practice,” according to the ANA website.

“Many collectors shy away from grading because they are concerned that if they fail, they have the potential to lose a lot of money. The ANA believes that everyone can learn to grade proficiently enough to be able to grade the coins in their own collection.”

FOUR BASIC METALS

According to the ANA, there are four basic metals used to mint U.S. coins. The metals include gold, silver, nickel and copper. Because each metal has a different level of malleability, they wear at different rates; however, a coin’s design also plays a role in the rate and location of wear.

“Grading is subjective, so you may find yourself in disagreement with some assessments in the game,” reads the ANA website. “It is generally more difficult to accurately grade a coin from an image than actually holding the coin in your hand.”

The game serves as an “entertaining tool” to help numismatists of all stripes become more familiar with The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins by co-authors Kenneth Bressett and Q. David Bowers.

A special thanks is given to CCN founder Chester L. Krause as well as Myrna Lighterman, Mark Lighterman and Brian Fanton for their contributions to this project.

HOW TO PLAY

There are four categories, each of which focuses on one of the four aforementioned metals. After choosing a metal, players will be shown a screen of squares, each of which shields a different coin.

“Your job is to locate a pair of coins that represent the same grade,” explains the ANA website. “Your goal is to find all of the matched pairs in as few moves as possible.”

The game tracks every move so players know exactly how long it took to complete all of the matches. For a review the Sheldon grading scale, click here.

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