Explained: Understanding BN, RB, and RD in Graded Coins

Surprisingly, many overlook this aspect unless they delve into collecting graded coins or manage their numismatic budget.

Grading companies such as NGC and PCGS employ a numeric grade to succinctly characterize a coin's condition. However, certain coins, particularly copper coins, necessitate a more nuanced description of their condition and appearance.

When copper coins are minted, they typically exhibit a distinctive red luster. Over time, this red luster diminishes, eventually transforming into a rich brown color due to oxidation. Graders use three primary strike characters following the numeric grade to depict the amount of red and brown present on the coin's surfaces: "RD" (for red), "RB" (for red-brown), and "BN" (for brown).

A coin labeled the RD strike character must retain a minimum of 85% of its original red luster.

A coin labeled with an RB strike character should retain a minimum of 15% of its original red luster.

A coin labeled with a BN strike character will showcase less than 15% of its initial red luster.

The prices of graded coins generally escalate from Brown (BN) to Red Brown (RB) to Red (RD) for the same coin.

For instance, if the MS62 coin of 1/4 Anna George V 1919 (C) is priced at ₹3,000 for a BN coin, the same coin in RB condition would cost ₹4,500, and in RD condition, it would be ₹6,000.

Moreover, the price increases significantly when moving from MS62BN to MS67RD (if available), more than tripling from ₹3,000 for MS62BN to ₹15,000 for MS67RD.