It's the current way of classifying the condition of the coin. In the old days it went: poor, fair, good, very good...etc. It's been a while since I was an active coin collector, but I believe they mean uncirculated and brilliant uncirculated.
It's the Sheldon scale, named after the numismatist who devised it. MS stands for mint state. The numbers go from 1 to 59 for circulated coins and 60 to 70 for uncirculated. There's also a scale for proof coins listed as PR. All far too complicated. What was wrong with 'fair' 'good' 'very good' 'fine' 'extra fine' etc with their abbreviations ? By Jove, in my young days...
What was wrong with 'fair' 'good' 'very good' 'fine' 'extra fine' etc with their abbreviations ?
Thanks for the clarification, Fred. In the old days I could grade coins just by looking at them, knowing exactly what to check out, hair tresses, eagle feathers, wheat lines. Since I've been away from numismatics for decades, I don't have a clue. I don't even know what my collection is worth.