Collector guides

Coin grades, spotting fakes, caring for coins and notes, and the history of Indian coinage.

• Coin grades explainedWhat G, VF, XF, aUNC, UNC and proof mean, how slabbed coins are graded, and how we grade ours.
• How to spot fake coins and notesSimple checks for weight, size, metal and printing, the old-coin scams to avoid, and what our guarantee covers.
• Caring for coins and notesNever clean them, how to hold them, and how to store a collection so it keeps its condition and value.
• A short history of Indian coinsFrom punch-marked silver to the rupee of Sher Shah Suri, the Mughals, British India and the Republic.