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How American Gold Eagles are graded on the 70-point scale by PCGS and NGC, what MS70, PF70 and SP mean on a slab, why most bullion coins trade on gold content while proofs, burnished coins and key dates can carry grade premiums, plus costs, release labels and fake-slab checks.
Pearl grading has no single universal scale. A seller’s AAA means whatever that seller says it means, GIA describes pearls by seven value factors, and French Polynesia sorts Tahitian pearls from Top Gem down to D. Here is how each system works, what the FTC requires on labels, and which lab report to ask for.
GIA and IGI both grade natural diamonds on the 4Cs, but they now part ways on lab-grown stones: GIA issues only Premium or Standard, IGI keeps letter grades. Who runs each lab, what their reports say, how to verify a report number, and what a report does not promise.
GIA’s D-to-Z diamond color scale has 23 letter grades in five ranges, from colorless D to lightly tinted Z. See how labs grade color face-down against masterstones, why one grade is hard to spot, how the metal changes the look, and where fluorescence, fancy colors and lab-grown stones fit.
GIA grades diamond clarity on 11 steps, from Flawless to I3, judged at 10x magnification. Here is the full chart, the inclusions graders look for, what eye-clean really means, the FTC rules on calling a stone flawless, clarity treatments, and how lab-grown diamonds are described now.
PCGS First Strike, NGC Early Releases and First Releases, and First Day of Issue explained from the services’ own rules: the 30-day windows, how release dates and cutoffs are set, the $18 label fees, the 2006 lawsuit over the old First Strikes name, and why the label speaks to timing, not quality.
Counterfeit and tampered coin holders copy real PCGS and NGC certification numbers, so a number that looks up is only the first check. How to verify a slab with each service, match the record to the coin, use the NFC chip and QR hologram, and what to do if a holder fails.
No phone app can give a coin an official grade. The free PCGS and NGC apps look up graded coins, show price guide values and population counts, and help you estimate a grade by comparing photos. Here is what each official app does, what a photo cannot show, and how to work out melt value yourself.
How to get a coin graded by PCGS or NGC, from deciding whether it is worth it to the sealed holder coming back: membership or dealer, the tier for your declared value, the form, packing and insurance, turnaround, after-grading services and what each guarantee covers.
The three versions of the American Gold Eagle side by side: how bullion, burnished uncirculated and proof coins are struck and sold, the mint marks that tell them apart, the MS, SP and PF prefixes PCGS and NGC put on each, cameo designations, and why a 70 means something different on each.
Top Tier Drip publishes plain-language buying guides, materials explainers and care instructions for fine and fashion jewelry.
A free resource of jewelry buying guides, materials explainers and care instructions covering fine and fashion pieces.
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