Currency condition

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The condition of almost any collectible, including money, weights very heavily on how much it is worth.

Just like in any area of collecting, there are many different levels in the condition of currency. The level of condition of a collectible bill is called grade.

Grading is the act of assigning a grade to a collectible bill. The higher the grade, the more it's worth to a collector.

Grades of collectible currency are usually determined based on the general reference descriptions that follow:

Crisp Uncirculated. A crisp, uncirculated bill comes straight off a bundle of brand-new bills with sequentially consecutive serial numbers, from the manufacturing plant or issuing bank. All four corners of a crisp, unciculated bill are clean, straight, square and sharp. Such a bill has no folds, creases or wrinkles, and it does not have any evidence of having been counted, meaning that it has never been crushed or handled harshly to make sure there aren't two bills stuck together. A crisp uncirculated bill is in the same state as it was when it first left the printing press, without any stains, evidence of water damage, humidity stains, or markings in any kind of writing instrument, not even in pencil. The most common abbreviations for uncirculated are either UNC (all in capital letters) or the single capital letter U.

Note: The security strip dimple, which looks like a crimp, is not a defect. Therefore, it does not detract any value from a crisp uncirculated bill.

Almost Uncirculated. An almost uncirculated bill shows very slight evidence of having been counted. However, the dent is not a strong one. In other words, it has not broken the surface of the bill. All four corners are straight, clean, square and sharp. A common abbreviation for almost uncirculated is AU, in capital letters.

Extra Fine. An extra fine bill has been creased in no more than one spot, whether an intentional fold or a harsh counting dent. All four corners are straight, clean, square and sharp. Abbreviations for extra fine are either EF or XF, all in capital letters.

Important: Crisp Uncirculated, Almost Uncirculated and Extra Fine bills must not have had contact with water or very high humidity, ever. Water damage and high humidity stains on paper are easily detected with the naked eye. The presence of water and high humidity stains on a bill graded Very Fine, or lower, could be expected.

Very Fine. A very fine bill has several creases, both vertically and horizontally. The paper has minimal dirt and some color smudging. The paper itself is still crisp, not floppy. The edges and corners show wear, but the edges have no tears, and the corners are not fully rounded. The capital letters VF stand for very fine.

Fine. A fine bill shows considerable circulation, with many creases and wrinkling. The paper has no excess dirt and it is somewhat soft. The edges and corners show a lot of handling, and there are minor tears along the edges; however, the tears do not reach into the design. There is no center hole due to excessive folding. Colors are clear but not bright. It may have up to two staple holes. The abbreviation for fine is the letter F. Another term for fine is average circulated.

Very Good. A very good bill has corners which are very worn and rounded, with tears extending into the design. It has discoloration, stains, staple holes, pinholes, and a small center hole from excessive folding. The bill is limp, and it has no missing pieces. VG, both in capital letters, is the abbreviation for very good.

Good. A bill in good condition has excessive folding, stains, pinholes, staple holes, dirt, discoloration, edge tears, a center hole, rounded corners, small obscured portions, small pieces missing and graffiti. Good can be abbreviated using the capital letter G.

Fair. A bill in fair condition is completely limp, with large pieces half torn off or missing. It also has large tears, and large obscured portions. The condition of fine is represented by the capital letter F.

Poor. A bill in poor condition has been trimmed, and has pieces held together by tape. The proper abbreviation of poor grading is the capital letter P.

The grading standard above is for normal wear resulting from circulation, with Crisp Uncirculated being the highest grade, and Poor being the lowest grade. However, if a bill has even a single characteristic from a lower classification, then it should be considered to be in the lower classification. For example, if a crisp uncirculated bill is stained, then it is in Good condition only.

Note: There are exceptions in regards to staple holes on crisp uncirculated bills, notably on some earlier money from India, Nepal, Burma, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In those countries, bundles of strictly crisp uncirculated bills were once held together with a staple, even when coming directly from the official government printing office or manufacturing plant.




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