FR and PO (fair and poor)
FR (fair) and PO (poor) are the two lowest grades on the 70-point Sheldon scale, FR 2 and PO 1: coins worn nearly smooth. A poor coin can be identified by type, and its date and mint mark read, but little more.
How to read it
PCGS calls an FR 2 coin worn out, with some detail intact, the date discernible if not fully readable, and heavy wear into the rims and fields in almost every case. NGC has some details visible and the rims barely visible. The ANA's fair has most design details worn completely smooth and the rims flat or missing. PO 1 is the floor of the scale. The ANA's standards say only the basic coin type is identifiable, with the date and mint mark strong enough to be read; NGC asks for enough detail to identify the coin's date and type, with the rims flat or nearly flat. PCGS adds that a coin must not be horribly damaged, for instance with holes, to reach PO 1, and that one-year type coins do not need a readable date. Above FR 2 is AG 3.
Also searched as: fair, FR 2, PO 1, poor.
A poor coin can still be sought after
PCGS says a PO 1 coin is basically uncollectible, but that coins of great rarity, such as an 1802 half dime, are still in demand in this grade. An ANA article says a PO 1 is typically worth more than an FR 2 or AG 3, because collectors building "lowball sets" of the lowest-graded coins compete for it.
FR, FA and PO
NGC and CAC Grading print FR 2 and PO 1; the ANA's standards write Fair-2 and Poor-1, and an ANA article abbreviates fair as FA-2.
More coin grades
Browse symbols drawn with circles, letters and numbers or squares and rectangles.
Sources
- PCGS Lingo: full listing, PCGS Lingo, full listing (pcgs.com/lingo/ALL; Internet Archive copy of 5 February 2025), Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), archived by the Internet Archive, Fair; FR-2; Poor; PO-1
- NGC Coin Grading Scale, NGC Coin Grading Scale (ngccoin.com), Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), Numeric Grades: FR 2, PO 1
- ANA Official Coin Grading Standards, Official Coin Grading Standards (money.org), American Numismatic Association, Circulated Coins: Fair-2, Poor-1
- Understanding Coin Grading Basics, Understanding Coin Grading Basics (ANA blog, blog.money.org), American Numismatic Association, paragraph on PO-1 to AG-3
- CAC Grading Standards, CAC Grading Standards (cacgrading.com), CAC Grading, Numeric Grades: (FR) Fair (2); (PO) Poor (1)
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research