US Patent 8661889 AURA devices and methods for increasing rare coin value

The present invention relates to coin value safeguard devices and methods by determining and monitoring the eye appeal of a coin and labeling that eye appeal on an appropriate holder of the coin such that the eye appeal is displayed to a viewer of the holder, and that coin's value is thus increased. Appropriately knowledgeable graders assess a coin's eye appeal by determining the coin's axial ultimate refractory angle(s) (AURA) and assigning an AURA rating to the coin. The coin image is stored in a database where it may be compared to secondary temporal images of the coin as necessary to determine whether coin doctoring has been employed.