Scale of Scheldon

The scales of Scheldon were developed in 1948, by an American numismatist, William Scheldon, at the time of a study of the " early broad cents" (large parts of 1 hundred of the first years of the American Republic).

Scale of the states of conservation

The first scale treats on a hierarchical basis the states of conservation of the currencies on 70 noted ranks 1 to 70. Theoretically, an evaluated currency 70 has a state 70 times better than an evaluated currency 1.

Scale of the states of scarcity

The second scale treats on a hierarchical basis the states of scarcity of the currencies on 8 levels, noted R1 with R8, according to known and listed manpower (in the USA, at the time of the setting in hull of the currencies by the services of evaluation like PCGS or NGC). The appreciation of the abundance of a currency on the R1 levels in R3 is left to the free will of the numismatist. One can nevertheless hold the R3 level at the years whose manpower can be estimated in the hundreds, i.e. between 200 (high of R4) and 1.000 known specimens. The R2 level can be held with the currencies whose manpower amount in the thousands (between 1.000 and 10.000). The R1 level concerning the currencies with abundant manpower (higher than 10.000 specimens).

The use of the figures of official pullings as estimators of the surviving population poses several problems:

the annual figures can relate to the three year old striking (the previous year, the current one and the following) without it being possible to make the share. Consequently, the pulling of the current year can be over-estimated.
the currencies can be redesigned in very broad proportions, sometimes front to be even put in circulation.
the varieties dependant on the use of matrices of corners different or on incidents from production (breaks of corners) are not always noted in the official registers.
the official registers can have disappeared and the figures from official pullings not to thus be not known.

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