VF (very fine)
VF stands for very fine: a coin with moderate wear on the high points but its major features still clear. It covers four grades on the 70-point Sheldon scale: VF 20, 25, 30 and 35.
How to read it
PCGS calls very fine the broadest range of any circulated grade, with nearly full detail on some VF 35 coins and less than half on some VF 20s. Its figures for how much original detail remains climb through the grade: about 60% at VF 25, up to 75% at VF 30, up to 80% at VF 35. NGC's standards run from complete details with wear on all of the high points at VF 35 to moderate design detail with sharp letters and digits at VF 20. The ANA describes VF 20 as moderate, noticeable wear on the higher parts of the design, with minor details beginning to flatten. Above VF 35 is XF 40; below VF 20 is F 15.
Also searched as: very fine, VF 20, VF 30.
How VF differs from fine
An ANA article puts the line in where the wear reaches. From F 12 to VF 35, it says, circulation wear is easily visible on the high points with the naked eye; at F 12 the wear reaches down into the recessed areas, and by VF 35 it shows only on the high points. NGC's F 15 has slight softness in the recessed areas, with letters and digits sharp.
The old VF/XF
PCGS says VF 35 used to be called VF/EF (or VF/XF) before numerical grading was accepted throughout the hobby.
Read next
- Next in Coin gradesF (fine)F stands for fine: a coin with moderate to considerable even wear whose lettering is still clear. It covers two grades on the 70-point Sheldon scale, F 12 and F 15.
- The same shape in GD&T symbolsFeature control frameA feature control frame is the rectangular box that carries a GD&T requirement. Read left to right, it gives the characteristic symbol, then the tolerance (with Ø if the zone is cylindrical, and any modifier), then the datum letters in order of precedence.
More coin grades
The same shape elsewhere
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, Very Fine; VF-25; VF-30; VF-35
- NGC Coin Grading Scale, NGC Coin Grading Scale (ngccoin.com), Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), Numeric Grades: VF 35 to VF 20; F 15
- ANA Official Coin Grading Standards, Official Coin Grading Standards (money.org), American Numismatic Association, Circulated Coins: VF-20
- Understanding Coin Grading Basics, Understanding Coin Grading Basics (ANA blog, blog.money.org), American Numismatic Association, paragraph on F-12 to VF-35
- CAC Grading Standards, CAC Grading Standards (cacgrading.com), CAC Grading, Numeric Grades: (VF) Very Fine (20-35)
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 29, 2026. How we research
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