Teaching · For Teachers

Every coin,
graded and stored right.

A coin collection, whether a grandparent’s jar or a classroom history project, is worth more cataloged: the year and mint mark, the metal, the grade, where it came from and what it is worth. Add each coin. The catalog names the grade, totals cost and value and flags the mistakes that ruin coins, like cleaning them or storing them in soft vinyl.

Add a coinWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the For Teachers toolkit, $79 for 72 items.

Your coins

The worked example is made up: a 1964 silver quarter in a vinyl flip, a cleaned 1943 steel cent and an uncirculated 1999 state quarter kept loose. Values are examples, not quotes. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Teaching · For Teachers$12

What you finish with
A record per coin: country, denomination, year, mint mark, metal, grade, cleaning, when and where it was acquired, cost, estimated value and its source, storage and five handling checks. Names the grade band and the gain or loss; totals cost and value and counts silver coins; flags cleaning, PVC flips, loose uncirculated coins, unsourced values and silver or steel content.
Who it is for
Young collectors and their families, and teachers using coins for history, economics or math projects.
Format
Browser catalog with a saved record per coin. Prints one coin, the whole collection in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the For Teachers toolkit ($79) and the Teaching Suite pass ($199), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The For Teachers space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Hold the coin by its edges and find the year and mint mark.
  2. Estimate the grade against photos in a grading guide.
  3. Add cost, an estimated value and where the estimate came from.
  4. Move anything in soft vinyl to Mylar or a 2 by 2.
  5. Photograph both sides.

Add a coin

Grades

The Sheldon grading scale, in shortGradeNameLooks like1 to 3Poor to About GoodWorn nearly flat4 to 11Good, Very GoodDate and outline clear12 to 39Fine, Very FineModerate wear, details sharp40 to 59Extremely Fine, About Unc.Light wear on high points60 to 70Mint StateNo wear at allThe Sheldon grading scale, in short1 to 3Name: Poor to About GoodLooks like: Worn nearly flat4 to 11Name: Good, Very GoodLooks like: Date and outline clear12 to 39Name: Fine, Very FineLooks like: Moderate wear, details sharp40 to 59Name: Extremely Fine, About Unc.Looks like: Light wear on high points60 to 70Name: Mint StateLooks like: No wear at all
Grades are opinions. Compare with photos in a grading guide; professional services grade valuable coins in sealed holders.

For a classroom

Coins carry history in metal: silver until 1964, steel cents in 1943, the 1982 switch from copper to copper-plated zinc cents. Students can catalog a class collection, then sort it by date and metal to see those changes.

Never clean a coin

Polishing, dipping or rubbing a coin removes its original surface, which collectors call toning or luster, and leaves fine scratches. Graders mark cleaned coins as damaged. Leave dirt and color as they are.

Sources

  1. American Numismatic Association. Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins (7th ed.). Whitman, and coin care guidance (money.org).
  2. Yeoman, R. S. A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book), current edition. Whitman.
  3. United States Mint. Coin specifications and the history of coin composition (usmint.gov).
  4. Sheldon, W. H. (1949). Early American Cents. Harper, origin of the 1 to 70 scale.

The worked examples are made up and the values are examples, not appraisals. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.