F.A.Q.

In order to navigate the E-shop and narrow down your search, you have to select the criteria which are displayed in various scroll down menus. To activate the menus you must click on the arrow to the right of the title. You can scroll down the list or type the first letter of the word you are looking for.

The scroll down menus that allow you to narrow down your search are all interdependent. You can use them as you want. You can select one or several criteria in the order that you wish. Each selection will consequently modify other scroll down menus. 

To reset a menu back to zero, click on the arrow to the right of the menu, select the first option "reset" and, if you are not able to do it, click on the "New Search" button and restart your search from scratch.

Scroll down menus are activated by Javascript, so you have to activate it on your browser (Chrome, Firefox,etc...) in order to use our site.

If you have ordered a Roman, royal or Celtic coin, you should receive the coin displayed since these shops sell unique items.

As far as the other shops are concerned, we often have several copies of one single coin or banknote and you may receive a different copy than the one displayed. Yet the copy you will receive matches the description and its condition is similar. If the item you have ordered doesn’t give you full satisfaction, you may return it within 7 days following its reception.

These terms are used to describe the condition of the coins:

MS 70 (Mint State 70 ) FDC 70
Perfect coin with no visible defects, even with a x10 magnifying glass. The frost is perfect even at the highest spots, and the quality of the die and the striking is optimal.

MS 65 (Mint State 65) FDC 65
The coin is strictly in mint condition but tiny dents due to handling in the mint or in the bank are visible with a x10 magnifying glass. The frost is intact, even on the highest spots, but the quality of the die and of the striking may be less than 100% perfect.

MS 63 (Mint State 63) SPL 63
The coin is in its mint condition, without the slightest trace of wear, but with very small dents visible to the naked eye. The frost is almost intact except on the highest spots, where it may be missing due to manipulation in the mint or in the bank. The quality of the die and of the striking may be only average.

AU (About Uncirculated ) SUP 58
The coin bears hardly any traces of circulation, but there may appear to be a very slight trace of wear on the highest spots. Very small dents due to manipulation are visible but most of the frost is still present.

AU 55 (About Uncirculated 55) SUP 55
The coin presents a very faint trace of wear on the highest spots. Slight traces of dents are possible, and the frost is still present in protected places, especially between the letters of the legend.

AU 50 (About Uncirculated 50) TTB 50
The coin presents slight wear on the highest points, slight traces of dents, and as a general rule is very pleasant to look at.

EF 45 (Extra Fine 45) TTB 45
The wear due to circulation is clearly visible. The coin does however have a pleasant aspect.

EF 40 (Extra Fine 40) TTB 40
The wear is visible, not only on the most raised surfaces but signs of wear appear in more highly protected places. The coin is still pleasant to look at.

VF30 (Very Fine 30) TB 30
The wear is immediately visible, but the flattened areas caused by this do not completely erase the affected areas, such as the hair, the crown of laurel, or the ear. The more protected parts show wear.

VF 20 (Very Fine 20) TB 20
The coin is really worn and the flattened areas caused by wear may completely obliterate the details of the most raised areas and the more protected parts are clearly affected.

F15 (Fine 15) TB 15
The coin shows wear due to long circulation but presents the whole picture of the coin, except on the highest spots which are completely flat. The rim is clearly diminished.

VG 10 (Very Good 10) B 10
Very worn coin that was in circulation for a very long time. The coin is perfectly identifiable with regards to all the important details: date, mint, and engraver's signs. The outline of the principal figure, remains even if everything is not visible.

G 6 (Good 6) B6
Extremely worn coin, but some detail still remains of the engraving over and above the inscription (which may not be complete), the outline of the principal figure and its most important parts.

AG 3 (About Good 3) AB3
The type, the year, and the mint of the coin are identifiable, the figure is almost reduced to a simple silhouette.

M1 (Mediocre 1) M1
The type of the coin is identifiable but neither the year nor the date are visible.

These terms are used to describe the condition of the banknotes:

GEM UNC

In perfect condition, not showing the slightest mark of mishandling or, of course, of use.

For French banknotes, almost GEM UNC (pr. or presque neuf) often describes a note with a counting mark, or with a slight bundle fold (of course the central fold is not visible in any way, just a slight curve of the paper) or if the bundle was stored with a tight rubber band that marked the central margins a little. Almost GEM UNC notes are almost perfect, they should never ever have pinholes.

SPLENDID  (SPL - AU)

A SPLENDID note is an uncirculated note with pinholes (preferably in the upper left part) OR that has been folded once but without the paper fibers being broken. Of course, one can also refer to a note as being SPLENDID if a perfect note has one problem important enough to make the note less than almost GEM UNC (an unbroken fold at a corner of the note, irregular margins, etc....).

SUPERB (SUP - XF)

In the worst case, two or three pinholes and, minor folds can be present but the note must still have an excellent appearance and have no major problems of any kind. A SUPERB note should always be checked with utmost care as the difference with a nice TTB - Very Fine is seldom obvious. Always check the back of the note, fold marks must be perfectly clean (but not doctored !). A SUPERB note must have retained the original crispness of the paper.

VERY FINE (TTB - VF)

Very Fine doesn't mean a lot and such a note must be carefully checked to avoid discussions and arguments. The easiest way to describe VERY FINE is to figure out what a SUPERB note constitutes : a very fine note is one that could have been superb but isn't. Circulation is obvious and the note has various problems (nothing really serious) but the overall look is pleasant and fresh ; it is the typical collectible circulated note.

FINE (TB - F)

A FINE note has obviously been in circulation for a long time but has to be representative of the average quality of a note and look decent, with no major tears or spots. A FINE note has no  missing parts, a lot of circulation, many pinholes and folds, is often a little bit dirty, has minor tears, margin problems, rounded corners, etc...

GOOD (B – G)

A GOOD note has been circulated a lot and, has many pinholes, folds, dirt, and tears, but no major part is missing (except if precisely mentioned)

Its description is quite the same as FINE but with a difference ; the overall look is really worse than FINE or the note is VERY FINE with a major problem. GOOD is often the grade for XIXth century notes.

ALMOST GOOD

ALMOST GOOD is the minimum quality to include a note in a collection however rarethe note  could be (but unique of course, for which "identifiable" is acceptable) Of course, no common note is ever offered in an ALMOST GOOD condition but with a dramatic problem on an otherwise very nice note.  In fact, only very rare notes, usually XIXth century issues are offered in this grade. AG is more commonly seen than M (for mediocre) which is out of fashion or only seen when even AG is not sufficient.

No. We put a small cookie in your computer to follow-up your order. If you do not wish to enable cookies, you may send us an e-mail with the reference numbers of the items you wish to order and we will process your order. Yet we remind you that on-line ordering is very easy to use and that the cookie is only used to enable the follow-up of your order.

Yes, it is now possible to order a coin and a banknote with one single order. This way you may order anything linked to a given figure or topic, or just order the handbook corresponding to the coin or banknote you have just bought.

If we have several identical items in stock, you can add them to your cart using the “more” button situated after the quantity.

An average of 48 hours is necessary to receive orders in metropolitan France.

You may send it back within 14 days and we will reimburse you.Send an email to  contact@cgb.fr for details.